The Staff of Ogre
by c-'.'Q Raven
Summary: Heihachi hatches an insideous plot, but to carry it out he needs to use a legendary artifact known as the Staff of Ogre. Chapter 9: Yoshimitsu's group prepares for battle while Heihachi finally revives Ogre.
1. Heihachi forms a plan

**Legal Stuff: **I do not own Tekken or any of it's characters. The only things I do own are those lame clichéd characters, Kenshi and Cypher ;-)

Hey this is really my first attempt at writing anything… so any criticism is welcomed. If it sucks really bad, write a review saying that I should just quit writing ;-) Oh yes and if your favorite character hasn't appeared so far, stick around because there are more to come :p You could also write me an email telling me to write in that character. Anyways I am going to shut up now!

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The Staff of Ogre

Chapter 1: Heihachi's forms a plan

Somewhere in Mexico.

A lone female figured crept quietly through the shadows. It getting close to dawn and the museum she had broken into was empty. Well the building was mostly empty, except for several security guards that now lay unconscious on the floor. The woman was carrying a small black backpack which was held to her body by a single strap. She was dressed in a form fitting dark blue body suit with a dark red vest and baggy red pants overtop, black gloves and black boots, and a white fox mask which hid her face. Her long red hair was tied back into two pigtails. In her right hand, she was carrying a large kunai dagger. The female went by the name of Kunimisu, a title she earned during her days with the Manji Clan.

She had been sent to this location to retrieve a specific item for Heihachi Mishima. Kunimitsu was not certain why this thing was so important. Quite frankly, she really could care less what Heihachi planned to do with it. What mattered to her was the money she was going to receive once she placed this item in the hands of the Zaibatsu owner. She was still getting used to being alive again, so little details such as that didn't really concern her at this period in time.

Her last battle with the Manji Clan leader Yoshimitsu left her shamefully defeated and very near death. Luckily for her, soldiers from the Mishima Zaibatsu had stumbled upon her unconscious form before it was too late to save her. They found her bleeding to death in the middle of a forest. She had been badly cut from Yoshimitsu's sword, and her mind told her she was going to die. The soldiers brought her back to a laboratory and she was nursed back to health and then cryogenically frozen as a guinea pig in some experiment. Heihachi waited until he had a use for her before she was finally revived. Over twenty years passed before she ever saw the light of day.

The item Heihachi needed her to retrieve was an artifact known as the Staff of Ogre. All she knew about the staff was that it was said to control the one known as Ogre. She had never heard of such a beast and she really wasn't one to believe fairy tales. The staff, however, must have really been important if she was awakened just for the purpose of retrieving it. The ninja also knew why she of all people was chosen to do this. The staff was extremely well guarded for being just a regular old artifact. In the process of taking out all of the guards, she also had to disable the alarm systems, as well as avoid several of the motion detecting lasers. This was indeed the toughest place she had ever broken into.

She made her way past several paintings and sculptures. Kunimitsu was never one to admire art. She found most art trashy and she failed to realize why it was so valuable. Thankfully, she reached the room in which the staff was being kept without having to pass any more paintings of soup cans or sculptures of giant pencils. She quickly removed her infrared goggles from the bag and placed them over her eyes. To her surprise, the room absolutely had no laser traps in it. She placed the goggles back into her bag and was about to step into the room when she heard a noise behind her. The noise sounded to her like the hammer of a gun being pulled back. The ninja cursed herself silently for having been so careless. Slowly, began to turn around.

"Don't move bitch!" The guard yelled. Kunimitsu was surprised that the guard was speaking to her in English, rather than Spanish, for this was Mexico after all. She could also tell from the sound of his voice that he seemed rather nervous. Something she hoped could be used to her advantage. "Put your hands above your head and drop the knife, or else!"

"Or else what?" Kunimitsu replied while slowly raising her arms in the air.

"I said DON'T MOVE!" The guard yelled back nervously.

Kunimitsu could not believe that the moron had just completely contradicted himself. How would she be able to raise her hands above her head and drop her knife if she wasn't allowed to move? It was then she decided that enough time had been wasted with this man. She suddenly leapt into the air, preformed a complete back flip overtop of the guard, and landed gracefully behind him. During this entire event the guard had been too shocked to even fire a shot at her and that would be his undoing. Before he was even able to turn around, Kunimitsu brought the handle of her knife down as hard as she could on the back of his head. He fell right to the floor with a thud just like a ton of bricks. Just moments after he hit the ground, his gun made a loud clank as it landed on the marble floor. Kunimitsu smiled at her handy work. She was somewhat relieved to see he was not dead, only unconscious. Kunimitsu wasn't one to kill off innocents who were only doing their jobs. She really was a little soft at heart despite what she wanted others to think. Yoshimitsu on the other hand was a different story. Kunimitsu would plan her revenge on him soon enough. However, for now, she had work to do. She quickly turned her attention back to the task at hand and moved onto the next room.

As she finally got to the podium where the staff was held, she couldn't help but laugh. The only remaining obstacle had been a velvet rope which was easily overcome. "This is almost too easy…" she whispered as she removed the staff from it's podium. She marveled at the item for several moments. The object was made completely of gold and the handle had been encrusted with jewels. A valuable treasure such as this was something she could really consider art. Kunimitsu almost had to stop herself from keeping the artifact rather than turning it over to Heihachi. One thing she didn't understand though, was where it got the name Staff of Ogre. She really didn't think the item was large enough to be called a staff. She would have opted for Scepter of Ogre or something along those lines.

Kunimitsu then slipped the staff into her bag and hurried toward the exit. Now her task was truly completed. More importantly, she was going to be paid handsomely upon her return to the Zaibatsu. Hopefully, after she received her payment she would be able to go after the life of her former master once again. Kuni couldn't wait to see the look on Yoshimitsu's face when she showed alive up to face him once more. Though the thought of waiting for him to show up at the Mishimi complex also crossed her mind. She knew the crafty ninja would never stay in one place for too long, so waiting was probably the best option she had. Kunimitsu realized there was probably a better time and place to contemplate such things. She'd be in a whole hell of a lot of trouble if one of the guards woke up and triggered the alarm. The ninja hastily moved back towards the area she entered from.

Manji Headquarters, Located somewhere in Japan

Yoshimitsu reclined in his chair and began to stare up at the ceiling. Today had been a long and unfruitful day, but it was not over yet. He was wearing his reddish brown armor today, which some have told him gave him an almost insect-like appearance. The fact that his outfit came complete with a pair of insect-like wings did not help much either. His sword was resting on the floor right next to him and his feet were propped up on his desk. Yoshimitsu had even removed his helmet and now resting on the desk in front of him. It was not until brief moments like this that he actually noticed how heavy the blasted thing was. He did not disguise his face because he was ugly or anything like that, but because it was the way of the Manji to do so. Despite all the people they had helped, the Manji Clan members were still a band of thieves who needed to protect their identities from the police. Being the leader of the Manji Clan, he was probably pretty far up on the wanted lists. However, even if they didn't have his face on file they could still identify him due to his eccentric outfits.

When Yoshimitsu looked at his face in the mirror, he saw the face of a man in his mid to late thirties. However, he knew this not to be the case. He wasn't like other humans, he'd lived a much longer life than most ever could. The cybernetic enhancements he'd received from Dr. Boskonovich only helped to prolong it. Though it felt unfair, he balanced things out by helping whoever he could whenever it was possible. The feeling of satisfaction he got from helping those in need was enough to keep him pushing on.

Yoshimitsu heard a knock at his door just as he was about to fall asleep from boredom. He quickly removed his feet from the desk and then slipped his helmet back on. "It's open!" Yoshimitsu yelled to whomever was standing outside his office. A middle aged Manji warrior opened the door and entered the room. He was wearing the same Manji outfit and mask that Yoshimitsu had worn way back during the second King of the Iron Fist Tournament. Yoshimitsu recognized him immediately as his most trusted ninja, Kenshi. Kenshi was a very tall man indeed. He even managed to tower over Yoshimitsu by almost a foot. However, his height did not take away from his speed.

Kenshi was a very quick and agile fighter. He had been Yoshimitsu's star student for quite a long time now. Kenshi's talents could not be matched by anyone else in the clan except Yoshimitsu himself. Yoshimitsu only once in his history of teaching the Manji arts had a student who was a better fighter than him. However, that student had been long since banished from the Manji Clan and was now dead. He never enjoyed thinking about her since the memories were far too painful to bare. Yoshimitsu finally broke the long silence between them. "Come have a seat, now what can I help you with Kenshi?"

"Sir, our spies within the Mishimi Zaibatsu have reported in." He replied while taking a seat in front of Yoshimitsu's Desk.

Yoshimitsu simply nodded and crossed his arms. Though his Manji warriors had managed to steal Heihachi's vault after the fourth tournament, the Mishimi Corporation was still running strong. There was news that Heihachi had captured both his son and his grandson. The rumors were that Heihachi was planning to use Kazuya and Jin for his Devil Gene research. Yoshimitsu hoped to God that this was not the truth. The thought of that power hungry madman being able to transform into a Devil was an extremely frightening one. Yoshimitsu has sent some of his best men to infiltrate the Zaibatsu and confirm these rumors. He snapped out of his train of thought and replied to his student. "And what is it they report?"

Kenshi quickly responded to the question. "Well sir, it seems that Heihachi has made plans to steal the Staff of Ogre. This item is said to have the power to control Ogre himself! It also is supposed to hold his essence….whatever that means. At the moment we are not sure what he plans to do with it. "

Yoshimitsu nodded once again. Even if they had the staff in their possession they would still be unable to use it. Ogre had been dead for at least a year now. Unless they had a plan to somehow revive the beast, the staff would be useless.

Kenshi interrupted Yoshimitsu's thoughts once more. "We also have reports that Heihachi has hired Anna Williams and Craig Marduk to be his personal bodyguards. Anna was also hired as his new… 'assistant'."

Yoshimitsu's eyes rolled under his mask at Kenshi's last remark. He knew all too well what it means for a young woman to become Heihachi's assistant. His lust for women was almost as great as his lust for money and power. He also knew Anna was just the type of girl to take that kind of a job. It was odd that Kenshi would even mention such a thing. He thought it best not to hark on that subject too long.

Craig Marduk, however, was a different story. Rumor has it that he was the one who had murdered the great wrestler known as Armor King. Yoshimitsu was still not certain if the man truly was a killer. However, he was certain that Marduk was fully capable of defeating Armor King in battle When it came to raw power, Marduk could not be beaten. He was a fighter in the Vale Tudo professional circuit and he was undefeated for over four years. At the last tournament, however, he was finally beaten at the hands of a vengeful King. Yoshimitsu had heard that Marduk ended up in the hospital after the bout. He must have went straight to the Mishimi camp upon being released.

"Anything else Kenshi?" He calmly asked.

"Yeah… I news that is even more troubling than that..." Kenshi remarked with a frown. "It seems that the thief Heihachi hired to steal the artifact was a young woman who had just been revived from cryo-sleep." Yoshimitsu sat back in his chair and allowed Kenshi to continue. "One of the spies reported that she was dressed like a Manji ninja, had long red hair, wore a fox mask and she was carrying a large dagger…"

"WHAT?" Yoshimitsu cut in while nearly falling out of his chair. Though just a few minutes ago he was ready to fall asleep, upon hearing the last comment he was now completely awake.

"You don't think it could be Kunimitsu do you?" Kenshi asked hesitantly. He knew Kunimitsu well from the old days. Kenshi had even fought against her in the past. She was a very skilled and arrogant warrior. She was also the only person besides Yoshimitsu to defeat Kenshi in battle. He still had a sour taste in his mouth from when that happened. Not only did she defeat him with ease, but she also showed no honor toward her fallen opponent. She simple walked away without even bothering to bow or shake hands with him.

"I am not sure..." Yoshimitsu replied grimly. "If she did manage to survive long enough to be cryogenically frozen, then there is a good possibility that she is still alive." He paused, unsure of whether or not Kenshi would be able to follow the rest of what he had to say. "It is a shame; while physical aging would not have really affected her, she could have aged mentally at least… She's most likely still the same confused child she was all those years ago."

Kenshi was unable to fully grasp what Yoshimitsu was saying. Although he had a general idea of what Yoshimitsu and Kunimitsu were, he didn't know the full extent things. Neither one of them shared the same patterns of aging as other humans given where they originated. "What do you think we should do master?"

Yoshimitsu was not quite ready to take action. He decided that it would be better if they waited a while to see how things played out. If Kunimitsu still wanted her revenge, she would eventually come looking for Yoshimitsu. "Nothing… At the moment. Kunimitsu does not know where our new headquarters are located. If she were to inform Heihachi of where she thought our location was, they would find nothing but the empty ruins of our last hideout."

Kenshi nodded and replied. "Alright master, I will inform the rest of the clan on the current situation."

Yoshimitsu nodded in agreement. "Good idea." He waited then until Kenshi had gotten up from his seat and left the room to begin daydreaming once more. He had not counted on ever meeting Kunimitsu in battle again. Perhaps this time he might be able to change her mind and bring her back into the clan. He had taught her the Manji arts ever since she was a small child and he still loved her like she was his own daughter. Even though she had disgraced his teachings, he could never stop caring for her. He always regretted that faithful night when they faced off and he thought she had died at his own hands. But now that she was supposedly back, his heart felt less burdened. Whether he would be able to change her or not, one thing was certain, the day had become a lot more interesting.

Mishimi Zaibatsu Headquarters

Heihachi Mishimi walked down a long hallway toward his office. The Mishimi building was quite large, spanning several stories and still managing to be quite big from end to end. Following closely behind Heihachi, was his chief of security, Cypher.

Cypher was a former assassin from a powerful crime syndicate. He is a very accomplished fighter that held black belts in several forms of martial arts including Tae Kwon Do. The only reason Cypher has never bothered to enter one of Heihachi's King of Iron First Tournaments was because someone would be bound to recognize him. The police had his face on file, so as long as he worked for Heihachi he would remain well hidden from them. He was dressed like most of the rest of Heihachi's soldiers except for the fact that the vest he wore was red instead of black. This helped to show his rank as well as separate him from the rest of the soldiers. He also wore the standard issue gas mask at all times for the sole purpose of keeping his face hidden from the Manji spies that have been reported to be lurking around.

As they made their way toward the office, Cypher read off his report to Heihachi. "Sir, Dr. Abel claims that the Devil Gene experiments are a success and he can begin DNA splicing in a few more days."

Heihachi smiled upon hearing Cyphers information. "That's excellent news! Inform him that I am ready to go at any time."

"Yes sir!" Cypher responded. "Oh and one more thing! We have recovered the body of Ogre and Dr. Abel believes it is still useable."

The smile on Heihachi's face seemingly grew larger by the second. "Splendid! Now all we need is the staff. Then I will be able to begin carrying out my plans… Any word from Kunimitsu?"

Cypher shook his head. "No sir, not yet."

"I see…" He responded with a frown.

As they reached the door of Heihachi's office, Cypher saluted him and headed off to continue his work. Heihachi removed a red card key from his pocket and ran it through the reader. After entering a five digit code he was rewarded by the loud click signifying that the door was now unlocked. Upon opening the door, he was not at all surprised to find Anna Williams reclining in his chair. She also had her bare feet kicked up on his desk. Such an act was something Heihachi found to be quite disrespectful. He decided, however, to let it slide this time. She had been able to enter his office alone since he had given her a card key, as well as the code for the door. He did this so that she would be able to come and go as she pleased without having to ask security to unlock it for her. He didn't have to worry though, because he kept all of his important belongings locked away in a safe. It was not that he didn't trust his belongings to her, it was because…ok so it was because he didn't trust his belongings to her. Just then, he noticed she was holding a bottle of champagne in her right hand. From what he could see, she was wearing nothing but a bathrobe.

Anna smiled sweetly at him as he entered. "Well hello there! About time you showed up!" She got out of her seat and walked over to him. Upon reaching him, she ran her hands up his chest and purred seductively. Slowly, she leaned forward and then began to kiss him passionately.

Heihachi gladly wrapped his arms around her waist and returned her kiss. After almost two minutes, he finally broke the embrace and responded. "Hello Anna, I hope you didn't have to wait long…." Though in reality, he could give a rats ass how long she had been waiting for him.

Anna smiled and traced his lips with her finger. "Not at all…Though it was a little warm in here.." As she cut her sentence off, she began to slowly remove her robe for him.

Heihachi quickly walked over to the door, closed it, and then locked it. He immediately turned his attention back to her and licked his lips. "The guards know not to come in at this hour. No one else could possible get in to interrupt us..."

"Oh really?" A female voice emanated from one of the darker corners of the room. Anna immediately screamed and attempted to cover herself up. Heihachi reflexively jumped back into his fighting stance. He quickly lowered his fists, however, when he saw Kunimitsu step out from the shadows.

"How the hell did you get in here? And what do you want?" Anna snapped. She was obviously not happy at all with the sudden interruption.

Heihachi completely ignored and cut off Anna's line of questioning. "Ah welcome back Kunimitsu! Did you manage to get the artifact?" Heihachi could not help but act overly enthusiastic. He'd spend weeks waiting for Kunimitsu to recover after having been frozen for so long. Soon, he would finally have the item in his possession. Now that most of the pieces were in place, he would be able to set his plans into motion.

Kunimitsu nodded and removed the item from her pack. She stepped forward and set it gently on Heihachi's desk. Heihachi grabbed the staff from where it was place and began examining it. It looked exactly like the pictures he had seen of it. The staff was truly a magnificent piece of art.

"Good work! Now here is the payment you requested. Six hundred and fifty thousand dollars, cash only." Heihachi turned and quickly began to unlock his safe. The money was truly a small price to pay for the wealth and power that the staff was soon going to bring him. As he finally got his safe open, he noticed that the briefcase containing the money was no longer inside. "But… Where the hell did it go?" Heihachi demanded to no one in particular.

"What you mean this?" Kunimitsu replied while waving the briefcase out in front of her.

Heihachi was baffled as to how she managed to break into his office and unlock his safe without anyone noticing. He was starting to believe all of the rumors about how she great a thief she actually was. If anything, this whole experience has taught him how truly secure the Zaibatsu was. Perhaps some new guards and a whole new security system would be in order.

Reviving Kunimitsu was probably the best idea Heihachi has had in the past few months. She'd prove useful in the future so keeping her around was defiantly a good investment. However, he was somewhat intimidated by her overall unpleasant demeanor. He'd thought it best that she leave immediately before she ruined the mood for Anna and himself. "Would you mind leaving us now? I would like to 'celebrate' our victory with Anna here…"

Kunimitsu could not believe Heihachi had the nerve to ask her such a thing. She could see the lust in his eyes as he looked towards Anna and she knew exactly what he meant by 'celebrate'. The thought of sticking around while those two went at it made her feel sick to her stomach. "No." That was all she could manage to reply with before stepping back into the shadows. She made sure she had her payment in hand so there would be no need to return to this room again.

"The door is that way." Heihachi replied smugly while pointing towards the exit. An awkward silence overtook the room as they waited for the ninja to leave. Heihachi finally walked over to the lamp on the desk and flicked it on. As he glanced back over to were Kunimitsu had went, she was nowhere to be found. He didn't have to worry too much about her not returning, however. They both knew that her rival Yoshimitsu would eventually attempt to storm the building. She would be better off just waiting here for him rather than going off to find him herself.

Out of the blue, another thought crept its way into Heihachi's mind. "I wonder if Nina Williams would be interested in becoming a second assistant for me?" Though Kunimitsu wasn't really his type, an alluring and quite feminine woman like Nina defiantly was. He knew Anna and Nina hated each other, but he couldn't pass up an opportunity to 'double his pleasure'. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned his attention back to Anna. He immediately noticed that she looked extremely pissed off at him for saying such a thing. "Don't give me that look, its not like you're my wife or anything!"

"I don't want to share this job with a tramp like Nina! Oh and where did you get that other creepy bitch?" Anna pouted.

Heihachi smiled and went back to examining the artifact on his desk. "Just something I had in cold storage…" He made it blatantly obvious that he was ignoring her first question.

Anna noticed he was paying more attention to the object Kunimitsu had given him than to her. "Just what exactly is that?"

Heihachi was surprised to see that Anna was now peeking over his shoulder at the item in his hands. "It's called the Staff of Ogre, and it is said that the essence of Ogre is transported to this staff upon his death. So in other words it supposedly houses his soul. I believe you remember Ogre from the third King of Iron Fists Tournament? Anyway, it is also said that whomever had the staff can control Ogre himself. He will follow your every command. I plan to use it for a different purpose though. Once I merge my own genes with that of the Devil Gene, Dr. Abel will use the staff to revive Ogre. His DNA will only be good to me if he happens to be alive at the time. I plan to splice my own cells with that of Ogre's, giving me both the power of Ogre and the power of the Devil Gene! I will then become the most powerful man on Earth and the Zaibatsu will reign supreme over every nation!"

Anna reached her hands around him and began to unbutton his shirt. "Whatever you say my love…" She tried her best to contain her laughter. He was starting to sound like the plot of a bad Sci-Fi movie. All she cared about right now was doing her job and she planned to do it right. Once she finished with his shirt, she removed her robe again. Anna then sat on top of his desk and seductively crossed her legs.

Heihachi snapped out of his mad rave and turned back toward Anna. He grinned eagerly as he looked her over with lustful eyes. "Now where were we?"


	2. GENOCELL Research

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Legal Stuff: I do not own Tekken or any of it's characters. The only things I do own are those lame clichéd characters, Kenshi and Cypher ;-)

First off I would just like to apologize for constantly misspelling Mishima last chapter. And I would also like to thank those who took the time to read and review. I have decided to place Jin, Hwoarang, and Julia in the story since I had requests for them. That's it…

**The Staff of Ogre**

Chapter 2: GENOCELL Research

South Korea - 15 years ago.

It was getting late, and a family of three was hurrying home from a trip to a relative's house. A small red-headed boy held on tightly to his fathers hand, and the mother was holding onto the fathers other hand. Since it was very late in the evening, the streets were almost completely empty. The family did not, however, notice that they were being followed. The man following behind them was wearing a long brown trench coat. From out of his coat pocket, the man drew a silenced pistol. The small boy barely heard the muffled gunshots, but he could clearly hear the screams coming from his mother. He looked on in horror as his both parents fell dead at his feet. He knew that if he did not do something quick, he would end up dead right next to them. His father had taught him how to defend himself and had also given him a small pocket knife just in case something every happened to him. The boy drew the small knife from his pocket and proceeded to throw it in the direction of his parents assassin. The man tried to move out of the way but the knife still caught him in the cheek. He cried out in pain and clutched the wound with his left hand. It was then that he finally stepped out into the light. The child glanced up at the man and was able to get a good look at his face. The man was somewhat tall and he had short blond hair. The other thing the boy noticed was that his knife had created a small gash on the man's cheek. The last thing the boy saw was the assassin pulling his right arm back and sending a punch directed at his face.

Los Angeles, California - Present Day.

Hwoarang awoke from his nightmare, drenched in sweat. It took only a few moments for him realize he had only been dreaming again. Hwoarang had been having the same reoccurring nightmare of his parents death for several weeks now. He was unable to piece most of it together though. To this day, he still did not understand why the assassin hadn't finished him off. What he did know, however, was why his parents were murdered.

The murders had taken place nearly fifteen years ago when Hwoarang was only six. Hwoarang's father had been a high ranking officer in the South Korean Police Force. He was on the verge of solving a huge case that would send almost an entire syndicate to prison. Hwoarang knew that his parents were murdered in order to silence his father for good. Since that day, he still has not been able to track down his parents murderer. But if he managed to do so, that man would have hell to pay. Hwoarang then decided that he would drop the subject for now, it was really not something he liked to think about. He wiped the sweat off his face and then began to look around his tiny apartment.

"What a dump!" Hwoarang exclaimed. The once white wall paper had now turned a yellowish color and it was also beginning to peal. There was no carpet on the ground, just a hard stone floor. The only furniture he had in his house was his bed and a small sofa. He had no money for anything else, not even a television. Hell, he barely had enough to pay for the apartment itself. He was beginning to believe that he might have been better off staying with the Korean army instead of running off to fight in some silly tournament.

He could always go back to acquiring money through making dishonest gambling wagers once again. He remembered the old days when he used pick fights with others and then manipulate the odds by concealing his true strength. His opponents were quick to accept the bet, but soon realized how foolish they were. Hwoarang quickly and easily disposed of all challengers. Though they would get severely pissed at him for his bluffs, they had no choice but to pay off their losses.

He had promised himself, however, that he was going to make an honest living from now on. He wasn't really sure how he was going to do that though. After all, fighting was the only thing he was good at. He also wasn't about to take up a job serving fries at some local fast-food restaurant.

Hwoarang was a master of Tae Kwon Do, which he learned from the great Baek Doo-San. But like everyone else who was important to him, Baek was now supposedly dead. His death though, came at the hands of that a creature called Ogre rather than some syndicate assassin. He did not need to seek revenge, however, since Ogre was now dead as well. Ogre had been defeated during the Third King of Iron Fist Tournament by a combined efforts of several different fighters. Besides, Baek's body had supposedly gone missing so there was still a chance that he might be alive somewhere.

There was one person though left though, whom Hwoarang respected. His name was Jin Kazama and he was the grandson of Heihachi Mishima. The first fight Jin and Hwoarang had ended in a draw. Hwoarang, however, was never able to settle the score with Kazama for that embarrassment. It was just then, that an idea hit him.

"Instead of sitting around here all day, I'll go find that asshole myself. At least that is better than waiting for that old geezer Heihachi to announce the next King of Iron Fist Tournament." He then thought to himself that perhaps Marshall Law might know Jin's whereabouts. Hwoarang knew that Law had a Dojo just over in San Francisco. That was all the encouragement he needed to get out of that crumby apartment. Grabbing what little clothes he had, he quickly stuffed them into a duffle bag. With that, he was on his way to Marshall's Dojo.

G Corporation

Julia Chang stretched out her arms and yawned. The twenty year old Native American had been sitting at her computer all day and it was starting to get to her. The reason for this was that she was trying to find more research into the GENOCELL project. Unfortunately for her, Dr. Abel had stolen most of it when he ran off to the Mishima Zaibatsu. Julia had been on the brink of uncovering the entire project when Abel suddenly took off with the data. She needed to report it to the proper authorities, so as that atrocity would never be released upon the public. Julia was so wrapped up in her research that she did not even notice the young man who was now looking over her shoulder.

"Julia?" The man asked with the slightest bit of concern in his voice.

Julia nearly jumped out of her seat in surprise. "Oh Tim! Sorry… You scared me."

Tim chuckled and began to scratch the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was just wondering, what are you up to? You have been at that computer all day!"

Julia then began to smile at him. Everyone who knew Tim could tell that he had a little bit of a crush on her. He was about the same age and height of Julia and his hair was light brown. Though he was shy and a bit of a geek, he was still an all around nice guy. Julia actually found him to be quite cute at times, especially when he was trying his best to speak to her without blushing.

She quickly pointed toward her screen and responded to him. "Well I have been looking for more information on the Genocell Project. Though, so far I have been unsuccessful. I also would like to find out just where Heihachi's headquarters are located. If I can find that, I will find Dr. Abel and the research."

"Mishima eh?" Tim replied, while scratching his head once again. "If we knew where Heihachi's base was, G Corp would have already went after them both."

Julia sighed and turned back to her computer screen. Just then, she noticed something. She had been looking at old files on Dr. Abel and she came across several photos. One of the images showed Dr. Abel standing next to another scientist who was about the same age. She studied the picture a few moments before turning in her chair to face Tim again. "Just who is that in the picture with Abel?"

Tim moved his head closer to the screen in order to get a better look at the picture. He had seen it before and he was pretty sure he knew who the other man was. "I believe his name is Dr. Boskonovitch, or Dr. B for short. Brilliant scientist, now works closely with the Manji Clan I believe."

Julia's eyes practically lit up upon hearing this. "The Manji Clan? That's Yoshimitsu's group right?"

"Yoshi…what?" Tim replied with a hint of confusion in his voice.

The look on Tim's face caused Julia to giggle. "Never mind, its a long story. Anyway, do you know where I can find this Dr. B's laboratory?"

Tim nodded his head in response. "Yeah, I believe he has a lab somewhere in Japan. Just a moment, let me go look it up."

"Thanks Tim." Julia smiled, and then stood up to hug him. She watched him leave and then began to go over the situation in her mind. If anyone knew the location of the Mishima Zaibatsu, it would be the Manji Party. Since she was going to meet Dr. B, maybe she would be able to convince Yoshimitsu of the dangers of Abel's experiments. She knew Yoshimitsu was no fool and he would provide her with the assistance she needed to in order to end those deadly experiments once and for all. The only problem was, she now had get some money so she could buy a plane ticket to Japan.

Mishima Headquarters

'Everyone deserves a second chance… right?' These were the thoughts that were running through the head of Craig Marduk as he headed towards the Mishima board room. He had never meant to kill that man… and if he could turn back time, he would have changed everything.

Craig had watched Armor King's matches for many years. He respected Armor King's abilities as a fighter and always hoped that one day he would be able to have a match with the legend himself. Marduk's dream of finally meeting Armor King came true at a bar out in Arizona. Armor King agreed to the match with little hesitation and they then had their bout right in the middle of the barroom. Marduk, however, let himself lose control. He ended up pile driving Armor King's head right onto the stone floor. This caused King's neck to snap and he was killed almost instantly. Marduk panicked and ended up fleeing the scene of the crime. The police found him, however, and arrested him without any struggle on his part. The witnesses that testified against him claimed he started the brawl while in a drunken state. He did start the fight, but he was neither drunk nor did he mean to seriously hurt anyone. No one believed his side of the story and Marduk was convicted of second degree manslaughter. Marduk ended up sentenced to ten years prison. After two years, though, his bail was paid off by an anonymous benefactor. Soon after his release, Marduk received an invitation to fight at the fourth King of the Iron Fist Tournament. Marduk never really knew why he accepted, but he went nonetheless. He was not looking for fame or fortune since neither of those interested him. There was just something deep inside of him that was telling him to go.

It was at the tournament that he learned the true identity of the anonymous benefactor who had paid his bail. That person was none other than King, the protégé to Armor King. Marduk was somewhat relieved, but at the same time worried about having a confrontation with King. He knew King was out for revenge, he just hoped that he would be able to convince the wrestler that it was not his intention to kill Armor King. During their match, Marduk tried his hardest, but he just could not convince King of his innocence. King ended up literally beating him to a pulp. His heart just wasn't in the fight and he ended up hospitalized because of it. Three months after the tournament, Marduk was finally deemed fit for release from the hospital.

Soon after, Marduk was approached by Heihachi Mishima. Heihachi made an offer to Marduk. He asked Craig to work for the Mishima Zaibatsu in return for the financial security of both his parents. Craig was once rich from his Vale Tudo bouts, but he no longer had the money he once did. Most of his assets were lost in a lawsuit with the family of Armor King. Marduk did not want to align himself with Heihachi, but at the same time he knew his parents would not be able to support themselves for much longer. He loved both of his parents and he would not be able to live with himself if something were to happen to them. He regretfully decided that he would work for Heihachi as a personal bodyguard.

Marduk then realized that he had been standing outside the board room daydreaming for several minutes. He laughed at himself and then pushed open the double doors. Upon entering, the first thing he saw was the look on Heihachi's face. He could tell that Heihachi was obviously pissed off at him for being late, but Marduk could really care less. After all, what could Heihachi possibly do to him besides giving him a little scolding or a slap on the wrist.

"Well I am glad you finally decided to show up, Mr. Marduk…" Heihachi remarked sarcastically.

"Go to hell.." Marduk mumbled under his breath. He quickly and quietly made his way to the only open seat left at the large table. He was sitting all the way at the far end, directly across the table from Heihachi. He began to let his eyes wander around the room at the other people attending the meeting. Sitting on the right hand side of the table, closest to Heihachi, was Dr. Abel. This man was supposed to be some sort of brilliant scientist, but Marduk believed he was nothing but a complete wacko. He was dressed in a white lab coat and he was also wearing a pair of tacky red sunglasses. This, Marduk found, to be quite odd. Though compared to some of the others in the room, Abel looked quite normal. Sitting directly across from Dr. Abel was Anna Williams. She looked to be a little overly dressed for just a meeting. She had on a long red gown, complete with red high heels, and a pair of red leather gloves. Marduk had been hearing rumors about Anna and Heihachi from some of the other guards. Though Marduk found this to be quite disturbing, he decided it best to just mind his own business. Next to Abel and Anna, were eight men dressed in suits. Four of these men were sitting on each side of the table. Marduk wasn't certain, but he believed they might have been some sort of important committee. They did, however, seem to be just as tight assed as Heihachi was. Many of them had shot annoyed glances toward Marduk when he had entered the room. Marduk then noticed two others who were not seated at the table. Standing over by the door was Cypher, Heihachi's head watchdog. Marduk had never seen Heihachi wandering the halls without Cypher somewhere close by. Cypher was dressed like most other guards except for the fact that his outfit was red instead of black. He knew the man to be a powerful fighter as well as a resourceful one. During his fights, Cypher would utilize several different weapons to help him gain the upper hand. At the moment, he was also holding a submachine gun. For what purpose, though, Marduk was unsure. Marduk's eyes then moved toward the back corner. Leaning against the wall was a young woman. She was dressed in a dark blue body suit with a loose fitting yellow shirt overtop, and a pair of dark red pants. She wore what appeared to be a white fox mask over her face. Though her arms were crossed, Marduk could still clearly see the large dagger she was holding. If his memory served him correctly, he believed her name was Kunimitsu. He wasn't completely sure, however, since this was the first time he had actually seen her in person. Before that, all he knew of her were a few rumors he had heard during a short conversation with one of the guards.

"Is something wrong Mr. Marduk?" Heihachi asked, which caused him to snap out of his train of thought.

"Its nothing… sorry…." Craig said in reply.

Heihachi nodded and looked back toward the rest of the group. "Good! Now then, lets get down to it. Our first order of business is this.." Heihachi removed a gold item from his coat pocket and placed it on the table in front of him. "This my friends.. Is the Staff of Ogre. It is going to change the face of this company.. And of me…" Heihachi trailed off cryptically.

One of the suits, an overweight man with a beard, shot in. "Heihachi, we are in serious financial trouble! We have no time to look at your art collection!"

"Calm down there Henry, you did not allow me enough time to finish." Heihachi replied calmly. "You see, ever since most of our funds had been stolen by the Manji Clan…." Heihachi was cut off by someone snickering in the back of the room. Marduk did not even need to turn around to know that it had been coming from Kunimitsu. Heihachi quickly shot her a glare and retuned his attention to the committee. "As I was saying, since one of our vaults was stolen by the Manji Clan, we have been in serious financial trouble. That is where this item comes in, as well as Dr. Abel's research. Let me have him explain it to you."

Dr. Abel got up from his seat and cleared his throat. "Well as Heihachi has just said, the research I have been engaging in is with something called the 'GENOCELL'. For those of you who don't know, the GENOCELL is needed in order for human cells to be able to merge with the Devil Gene." Dr. Abel began to draw a makeshift diagram of the GENOCELL and the Devil Gene on a large chalkboard.

Marduk was starting to wonder if this man thought that everyone else in the room, besides himself, were complete morons. Even the way Abel emphasized the word GENOCELL was beginning to get on his nerves. Marduk decided he would make some sort of comment, just to be an asshole. "Your not coloring inside the lines Dr…"

Dr. Abel was hardly amused by Marduk's wisecrack. "Be quiet Marduk, I am doing this for the benefit of the mentally handicap in this room, such as yourself. Now as I was saying, now that I have almost completed my GENOCELL research, we will soon be able to merge the Devil Gene with Heihachi. In order to do this, we have captured both Kazuya Mishima, and his son, Jin Kazama. We will need samples of their blood so that we can complete the Devil Gene exercise."

Heihachi cut in. "Now, as for this artifact. My men have already recovered the body of the God of Fighting, Ogre. What I plan to do is awaken the beast from it's eternal slumber with this staff. The beast must be alive in order for it's genes to be useable. We will use some of Ogre's blood to merge with my own cells. Of course, my blood will already have the Devil Gene flowing through it. Once we have completed this, I will become the most powerful warrior in the entire world. No one will be able to oppose me and the world will have no choice but to kneel before the Mishima Zaibatsu. Also, we will then use this staff to control the reawakened monster, Ogre. He will help greatly in providing extra defense to our home front. But before we strike, we must lure the worlds greatest fighters to this location, and finish them off one by one. They are our biggest threat at the moment. That is the reason why I have assembled the group of fighters that you now see before you."

The fat man, Henry, burst out laughing. "Are you completely insane Heihachi? We are in serious financial trouble and you come here spouting this nonsensical dibble? You have wasted millions on some lame brain experiment, and on top of that you hired a bunch of freaks to kill off martial artists? You actually think this plan of yours is going to help you conquer the entire world?"

The rest of the council looked as displeased with Heihachi as Henry was. A man wearing glasses was the next to speak up. "Henry is right, we cannot sit idly by as you waste what is left of our company's funds!"

Marduk could tell that Heihachi had heard enough from the committee. He also noticed that Mishima was now motioning his head toward Cypher. Cypher returned the nod and slowly began walking towards the council members.

Heihachi smiled toward the committee. "Well I am sorry, if my council does not agree with my plans, I am afraid I am going to have to liquidate it…" Heihachi waved his hand toward Cypher, who responded to the gesture by opening fire with his machine gun. All eight of the council members were dead before they were even able to realize that they had been betrayed. Anna quickly jumped out of her seat in fright, and hid behind Heihachi. Dr. Abel simply sat there and watched the carnage unfold with a look of amusement on his face. He also caught a glimpse of Kunimitsu looking away as all this transpired in front of her. Marduk was, however, able to take note of the fact that Cypher seemed to be overly enjoying himself. He knew this from the faint sound of laughter that could be heard emanating from under the man's gas mask. In fact, he didn't stop shooting until his gun's clip had completely run dry. Marduk knew that even if he had wanted to help them, he would just been killed along with the others.

"That's enough Cypher…" Heihachi said with a grin. "I think they are pretty much dead. Though it is a pity, I forgot to inform them that we have a new benefactor who has been supplying us with the needed funds for the experiments. This man has eliminated our need for stockholders such as them. We were once bitter enemies, but he changed his tune when I informed him of my plan. It is amazing how much a little money and power can corrupt someone. I simply offered him a chance to further his development of Combot, and he was more than happy to join up. So with that, let me be the first to introduce my adopted son, Lee Chaolan!" Heihachi began clapping as well as smiling from ear to ear.

Marduk turned his head toward the door as he heard it open. Into the room walked a man wearing a white suit and a blue vest. The most distinguishing feature about this man was that his hair was the color silver. The one called Lee was followed closely behind by a woman wearing perhaps the shortest skirt Craig had ever seen. Marduk figured she must have been his secretary or something along those lines. As far as Marduk could tell, Lee was just as arrogant as his adopted father. He simply walked right passed the slaughtered committee as it they weren't even there. However, though Heihachi seemed overly impressed with the man, Marduk noticed that no one else in the room was. This Marduk found to be rather amusing.

"Thank you father." Lee replied with a smile. "It is a pleasure to be working with you all! Most of you I have already met, or maybe even just seen, at previous Iron First Tournaments. I would just like to let it be known that Combot Version III has been completed and is now ready for mass production. In the next few weeks, you should begin to see several of these Combot models patrolling the halls here at the Mishima complex. They will simply be here as protection, in case someone would attempt to storm the building and halt the progress of our experiments. Now, if no one was any further questions for me, I am going to head back to my lab." Lee began to strut toward the door, but then stopped momentarily and turned toward the table once again. "Oh and lastly, I would just like to thank you all for your attention and I hope to be able to get to know you all a little better within the near future." With that, Lee turned and headed toward the door again, followed closely behind by his secretary.

"Ah yes, I see Mr. Chaolan likes to keep his speeches short, and to the point." Heihachi remarked after Lee was gone. "Anyway, is there anyone else here who has anything they would like to say?"

Dr. Abel began waving his hand frantically until Heihachi finally acknowledged him. "Yes I have something to report. It seems Julia Chang has gotten wind of my research and is now dead set on stopping it. I need you to lure her to this location as well, but please do not kill her. I want her alive so that I can carry out the very same experiments she plans to stop, on her own body." Dr. Abel now had a demented smile on his face.

Heihachi paused momentarily, almost as if he was in complete shock at the words of the madman. "Ok…. We can do that… Now if no one has any further questions, I am going to return to my office and await Dr. Abel's go ahead to begin the operation." Dr. Abel nodded in response, and then got up to leave. Once he was gone, Kunimitsu silently walked out the door. Marduk decided he did not want to be left alone with the three lunatics, and quickly followed her out.

Once they were gone, Cypher spoke up. "Do you think we can trust those two?"

Heihachi nodded and turned to face Cypher. "I am not sure at the moment, just make sure to keep a close eye on them both."

"Yes sir." Cypher nodded his head and then headed toward the door.

Heihachi waited until Cypher had left the room and then turned to Anna. He moved closer to her and kissed her on the lips. "It will all soon begin my dear.."

"And just what is that?" She asked with curiosity, while at the same time wrapping her arms around his waist. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Why.. The end of the world as we know it!" Heihachi replied with a smile.


	3. A storm is brewing

****

Legal Stuff: I do not own Tekken or any of it's characters. I only own a few of the minor and less interesting characters. :p

Sorry about the taking so long with the new chapter, I have had some major writers block plus some forgetfulness. Anyway, that's it.

****

The Staff of Ogre

Chapter 3: A storm is brewing

Marshall's Dojo

Forest Law stood on the sidelines watching his father fight. Marshall's opponent for the afternoon was none other than his long time friend and rival, Paul Phoenix. At the moment, it would seem as if Paul had the upper hand. This did not surprise Forest, however, because he'd seen those two battle so many times before. Their fights usually go either way. Sometimes Paul wins, and sometimes Marshall wins. As far as Forest could tell, they were evenly matched. Paul had the advantage in strength, but Marshall had the advantage as far as speed and technique were concerned.

"What is the matter Marshall? Age slowing you down?" Paul remarked while sending a kick directed right for Marshall's jaw.

Marshall was able to dodge the blow and at the same time sweep Paul's feet out from under him. "Yeah right…. Just see if you can keep up old man!"

Paul reflexively reached his arms behind him in order to help break his fall. Upon landing, he quickly jumped back to his feet and attempted to finish Marshall off with one of his Phoenix Smashers. Once again, Marshall was able to dodge the blow, causing Paul's hand to only slightly graze Marshall's side. 'Lucky thing too!' Marshall thought, since being hit by one of Paul's punches is the equivalent of being hit by a tractor trailer. Paul's error left him open for Marshall to deliver a finishing blow. Marshall quickly grabbed the back of Paul's head and lifted his knee right up to smash it in Paul's face. Paul knew what was coming, but unfortunately, he was not able to avoid it. Paul was sent skidding across the floor right into the solid stone wall of the dojo.

"Aww damn!" Remarked Paul, while rubbing the back of his head. "Looks like you got lucky this time, but the next time I won't go so easy on you!"

"Sure thing Phoenix, the only person whose lucky around here is you! You could have ended up leaving here in a wheel chair!" Marshall responded with a chuckle. He then turned to his son, Forest. "Hope you were taking notes Forest! This is how us grown-ups fight!"

Forest smiled at his father, and wittingly remarked. "Sure… guess I have at least half a century till I am at your level…. of age and fighting ability of course."

Marshall rolled his eyes at his son's sarcastic comment. Forest was the spitting image of his father, only Marshall wasn't totally sure that that was a good thing. Marshall was certain of one thing though, that Forest would make quite a name of himself in his lifetime. Marshall was very proud of his son, and when the time came, he would be more than happy to hand over the Dojo to Forest.

"Crap… my head is pounding. Hey Marshall, do you have any aspirin around here?" Paul cut in.

"Maybe you should find a new training partner, I am just too good for you these days. What about that bear that always follows you around? He is probably free to train with you." Marshall said with a smile.

"Ugh, don't remind me about that thing. Besides, I think Kuma usually trains with Heihachi anyway." Paul replied while fixing his hair in the mirror. It was then that Paul saw the reflection of young man entering through the front door of the dojo. When he turned around to get a better look, he recognized the individual. The young man was known as Hwoarang, a fighter from the King Of Iron Fist Tournaments. Paul, however, had no idea why the young man would be visiting Marshall's Dojo. Paul then turned his attention to Marshall so he could inform him of the visitor. "Well…. Looks like we have company."

Heihachi's Office

Heihachi had been reading over some paperwork in his office when he heard a knock at his door. "I thought I said no interruptions!" He yelled while getting up from his chair. His anger quickly left him, however, when he found that the sultry Nina Williams was the one who had knocked.

Cypher, who was standing just behind Nina, was the first to open his mouth. "Here is Nina Williams, just as you requested." He then bowed to Heihachi and walked off, leaving the two alone.

"Well then Nina, why don't you come in!" Exclaimed Heihachi as he moved aside to allow her access into the room. While Nina walked past, Heihachi made it obvious what his intentions were. He moved his eyes up and down her body, making sure to examine every curve.

"If you don't stop staring at me, I will gouge your eyes out!" Nina replied calmly, showing her already obvious distaste for the man. "Now make this quick! Who are you and why have you summoned me?"

"Well I see the rumors are true, you have lost all of your memories due to your time spent in cryosleep!" Heihachi replied with a smile. "But I will be brief, the reason I called you here is because I am interested in your 'services'. I already have your sister Anna working for me, but two heads are better than one as they always say!"

"What kind of services?" Nina hesitantly asked. "And I have no sister! I do not know what your talking about!" She snapped back at him.

"Well you see, I want you to give your body to me. And in return, I promise to spare your life when I begin my reign of terror!" Heihachi replied calmly. With each passing moment, the smirk on his face continued to grow wider and wider. In his mind, he knew Nina would not refuse his offer. Not only would she be useful in fulfilling his twisted desires, but she would also help him crush all of the martial artists that still stood in his way.

"Never!" Nina shot back. "I would never belittle myself to take such a disgusting offer, even if it meant losing my life!" She then reached toward the sheath on her upper thigh and drew a shuriken from it. She began circling around Heihachi, keeping a close eye on the man's every move. She stopped momentarily with her back to the office door. Unfortunately for her, however, she did not hear the door behind her creep open. She also managed to miss the faint sound footsteps coming up behind her.

Just then, Nina dropped her weapon and fell to the ground. Standing above her fallen body was none other than her sister Anna. "Foolish bitch, you were always the stupid one in the family!" She said calmly, while a twisted smile began to form on her face.

"Excellent job Anna, now take her down to the holding cells and lock her up! I still have plans for my beautiful Nina." Heihachi boasted.

"As you wish, love." Anna bent down, and picked up the fallen body of her sister. She then threw her unconscious form over her shoulder and calmly made her way out of Heihachi's office. Just as she got out into the corridor, she heard the door slam shut behind her. She shrugged this off and headed down toward the elevators at the far end of the hallway. As she passed by, several of the guards shot confused glances at her and her sister. She did not notice this, however, for she was already deep in thought.

"Don't take this personal sis, it is only business." Anna whispered to her, though she doubted Nina could hear her at the moment. She still cared somewhat for her estranged sibling, but she would sell out her own mother for the right price. In her mind, money was the most important thing in the world. She would go to any length to obtain it, even becoming Heihachi's personal whore.

Anna finally arrived at the elevator and hit the down button. After waiting impatiently for several long minutes, a loud ding rang out and the doors finally opened. She hurried inside and then hit the button for the second basement level, in which the holding cells were. Her arms were getting sore, so she momentarily set Nina down on the floor to give herself some rest. Through it all, she couldn't help but wonder why a rich man such as Heihachi could not afford faster elevators. Finally, after a painfully long ride, the elevator arrived at it's destination.

The doors slide open revealing an almost medieval-like dungeon. Even though it was spacious and roomy, the prison was still very dark and dirty. It was obviously built to house several people, most likely enemies of Heihachi who were never going to see the light of day again. At the moment, however, the only two people down there were Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama. Both of which were put in some sort of coma due to the special chains Heihachi used to bind them with. She had heard that those two were Heihachi's son and grandson. Both of which possessed the Devil Gene inside of them, one of the main ingredients in Heihachi's plan to conquer the world. Heihachi had already taken the necessary samples he needed for his experiment, but for some reason he kept both of them alive. Perhaps, somewhere in his twisted mind, he still loved both of them. Anna doubted this, however. It was more likely that he just kept them around to make them suffer.

As she pondered this, a short man with glasses jumped up from his desk and hurried over toward her. The man seemed somewhat nervous, probably from the lack of light and/or sleep. From the looks of it, he also seemed like a pretty shy person. Anna did not blame the man for this, since working alone does not give one much time to come in contact with other human beings.

"Oh Miss Anna! How may I help you today?" The guard asked politely while giving her a salute.

Anna smiled and blushed slightly, since she enjoyed all the attention she was getting from Heihachi and his men. "I would like you to take my sister Nina and place her in one of the holding cells. But hurry though, she will be waking up soon."

She motioned toward Nina, who was still lying on her back inside of the elevator. Anna made sure to move Nina's legs out to keep the door from shutting completely. The guard hurried over and scooped up Nina's body into his arms. The man then headed down the hall to one of the cells on the far right. Anna took notice to the fact that the man's hands seemed to be 'wandering' to places they shouldn't. She was about to say something, but decided to let it slide. Anna had more important things to worry about at the moment. As long Nina did not manage to escape, Anna would be satisfied.

She took one last look down the hall before letting the elevator doors shut once again. Her hands lingered near the buttons momentarily, as if she was deciding where she would go next. "Think I will go take a nap…" She trailed off. Since the Mishima Zaibatsu was such a well funded organization, Heihachi had given Anna her own private suite on the fourteenth floor. The accommodations were nice, much better than her crumby apartment in fact. Without thinking about it twice, she hit the button for the fourteenth floor and was off.

Mishima Labs

Dr. Abel looked nervously toward Lee Chaolan who had taken it upon his liberty to disturb him during his research. Abel refused to speak up, since he was unsure if Lee was actually checking up on his research or not. Though from the looks of things, Lee just appeared to be searching for a way to cure his own boredom. At the moment, Lee and his secretary were fooling around with some very expensive equipment. Abel was beginning to grow furious with them since they obviously had not idea what they were doing.

"Hey doc! What does this control panel over here for?" Lee asked in a most disrespectful tone.

"Please do not touch that! It is in the process of breaking down and examining samples of the Devil Gene!" Abel snapped back while hurrying over to get the Lee away from it as quickly as possible.

"Sheesh! Don't get so uptight old man, I wasn't going to break anything!" Lee replied calmly while shooting a smirk toward his secretary, Catherine. "Catherine and I were just interested in seeing how your research was…. Progressing."

'He acts just like a spoiled little kid..' Abel thought to himself. The angry scientist began typing something into the machine Lee had questioned him about. "Well you see, I am still in the process of analyzing the effects of the Devil Gene and the GENOCELL, when combined with human DNA. So far the experiments have been going according to plan, though I still want to run a few more tests before I actually attempt to fuse these cells with that of Heihachi." Abel explained. Just then he noticed that Lee seemed to no longer be even listening. This act of disrespect just helped to further fuel the doctor's rage. If there was something he hated above all else, it was when someone ignored him while he was speaking. Abel slammed his fists on the keyboard, causing both Lee and Catherine to shoot angry glances toward him.

"Well that was rude, you still don't even have any manners at such a ripe old age?" Lee snidely remarked. Catherine giggled at his comment and Lee continued to smirk from ear to ear like the true jackass he was.

Abel was hardly amused by the man's antics, but he had to remind himself several times that Lee was Heihachi's adopted son and was not to be harmed. So rather than continuing the argument, Abel decided it best to just ignore the man and continue with what he was working on. "Ah yes! According to my latest experiment, I was able to completely merge the Devil Gene and human DNA with absolutely no side effects! I must inform Heihachi immediately! He will be most pleased with my findings!"

"So your saying the experiments were a success, and my father will be able to carry out his plans?" Lee asked with much curiosity. It seemed as if Abel's last remark had caught the man's full attention, for he was no longer fiddling around with any of the machines.

Abel did not ever bother to raise his head when he responded to the man. "No not yet, we still need to get a sample of Ogre's DNA and decipher if it is even possible to combine it with the Devil Gene. However, before we can even do that, we need to resurrect the beast from it's eternal slumber."

Catherine looked somewhat uneasy from Abel's last remark. "Where is the creature?" she asked, with a tone of caution now beginning to overtake her voice.

Abel pointed over toward a strange looking capsule in the far right corner of the room. The capsule itself was easily large enough to house a very tall man. "We have been keeping it in a cryogenic state so that it's body will not decay past any usability."

Lee casually made his way over toward the capsule and took a moment or two to inspect it when he arrived. Finding a small window on the front of the capsule, he leaned over to it to try and catch a glimpse of what was inside. What he found, was far beyond anything he had ever seen in his entire life. The creature looked almost as if it could be a man, save for the fact that it's skin was a dark shade of green. Judging by the size of the capsule, the creature had to at least be over 7 feet tall. It's body was completely covered with muscles, making it an intimidating being to say the least. Lee was beginning to understand why a monster such as this one was known as the 'God of Fighting'.

"It's marvelous, isn't it? A true scientific wonder…" Abel sounded as if he was going into another one of his trances. It almost seemed like he was hanging on every word he spoke.

"Yeah… but if you ask me, he is one ugly thing isn't he? But I suppose every fighter can't be as witty or good looking as I…" Lee peaked into the window once more before continuing his evaluation of the beast. "And he's tacky dresser at that…"

"WATCH YOUR MOUTH YOU INSOLENT TWIT!" Abel snapped, having obviously heard enough from Mr. Chaolan. "Show some respect damn it! Ogre is a far superior being to the weak, pathetic human race. Besides that, your not such a great dresser yourself!"

Lee curled his hand into a fist and then punched the top of the capsule with all of his might. This not only dented the metal paneling of the machine, but also nearly gave Abel a heart attack. "No one insults my sense of style! I am far ahead of the times old man! You'll be long dead before the world even comes close to catching up!" To anyone else, Lee's statement would have probably sounded ridiculous. But Lee took his fashion seriously. "But doctor, I have one more question…" Lee remarked, having decided to change the subject once again.

"Yes what is it? Ask quickly, then take your little whore of a secretary and get the hell out of my lab!" Abel snapped back at Lee once again, having had his fill of conversation for one day.

Catherine was about to say something in her defense, but Lee quickly raised his hand to silence her before she could even begin. "I have heard rumors that Manji Party has been planning an assault against this facility. I was just curious as to what you planned to do if they arrived before you were able to complete your research."

A twisted smile began to form on Abel's face, as if he had been hoping that someone would ask that question sooner or later. "Well you see Lee…. I already have an operative inside the Manji's hideout. He allowed himself to be captured by Yoshimitsu, while using a false tale about needing his body repaired by Doctor Boskonovitch. You see, Boskonovitch is my arch rival. With luck, my operative will destroy him along with the entire Manji Party. I even went to great lengths as to pay off one of the members of the Manji Clan to ensure my operative awoke him from his slumber before Boskonovitch got a chance to begin work on the man's new body. If every thing has gone according to plan, by my calculations, my operative will be revived and will begin carrying out his mission any minute now…"

Manji Hideout

Deep in the bowls of the Manji facility, inside one of Doctor Boskonovitch's many laboratories, lay the body of Bryan Fury. He had been in a deep slumber since the end of the last tournament due to some drugs given to him by Dr. Boskonovitch. By leaving himself in such a vulnerable position, he would be taking quite a risk. However, if he completed his task, the payoff afterwards would be well worth the danger involved. During the entire time he slept, the only thing he dreamed about was how he would complete the mission ahead of him. It was almost time, however, for him to awaken from his dreams.

The door to the laboratory crept open and a shadowy form made it's way inside. When it entered the light, it's features began to take form. The form it took was that of a man. He was dressed completely in black, as was the standard for most lower level Manji fighters. The ninja was not quite as fit as most other members. In fact, he was a few pounds over the standard for a person of his height. Combine that with the fact that he wore a thick pair of glasses, and that made for one very unusual looking ninja warrior to say the least.

Though no one else was in the near vicinity, the man continued to sneak around as if he was actually in some sort of dangerous situation. He made his way over toward where Bryan now lay and began to fish around in his pocket for something. Thick beads of sweat began to form on the man's forehead due to the immense stress of his mission. If anyone happened to catch him, he would cast out of the clan for sure. It was not the threat of exile that scared him, however, rather the thought of getting on the bad side of the Zaibatsu for failing the mission.

Finally, his hand emerged from his pocket and brought with it a very large hypodermic needle. Contained within the needle's tube, was a solution that would awaken Bryan Fury from his coma. The ninja reached over and took hold of Bryan's left arm. He quickly jabbed it into the Fury's bicep and emptied all of the solution into the man's bloodstream.

Within a matter of moments, Bryan's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up. The whole experience had been somewhat of a shock to him. At the moment he was having trouble figuring out where he was. His eyes finally fell upon the ninja who seemed somewhat frightened by the whole incident. "Ugh… I feel like I've been hit by a truck…" That was all he could manage to say at the moment.

The ninja attempted to regain his composure while giving the man a shaky reply. "Yes, that is to be expected since you've been sleeping quite a long time. But you must hurry up and complete your mission before any of the other guards realize what has happened. Oh and by the way, I left a map for you over on that table."

Bryan looked over toward the table that the man was now pointing towards and sure enough, there was a map lying there. He began to go over the objectives of his mission once again just to make sure he had it all down pat. His objectives were pretty straight forward; eliminate all members of the Manji Party, locate the armory, and use any explosives he found in there to destroy the facility.

"Well if you don't mind, I think I will be getting out of here before the party starts…" The ninja remarked, interrupting Bryan's train of thought.

"Just one moment please…" Bryan replied, while slowly getting onto his feet.

This caused the ninja to stop dead in his tracks and turn back toward where Bryan was standing. "Yes? Something wrong?"

The corner of Bryan's lips began to curve into a wicked smile as he slowly made his way toward the man. He stopped just inches away from him, his eyes locked with those of the ninja's. "Dr. Abel gave me one more objective, which he conveniently forgot to tell you….. Leave no loose ends…" Bryan trailed off cryptically, and then began to pull his arm back. Before the frightened man even had time to react, Fury sent a fatal blow from his fist aimed directly at the man's stomach. When the punch connected, it did not send the man flying across the room, nor did it knock him over. In fact, Bryan's fist went completely through the man and came out the other side. The ninja let out a few muffled gargles and then fell lifeless to the floor. Bryan's arm was now completely covered in blood. There was now a large pool of it forming around the man's fallen body. His entrails also dangled lifelessly from the gaping whole in his chest.

Bryan simply shrugged the whole incident off and made his way toward the table where the map was. He scooped it up into his arms and took a few minutes to read over it carefully. According to what he saw, the armory was located three levels up on the far end of the west wing. As long as he did not alert the entire base at once, his mission would most likely be a breeze. Just as he finished gazing over the map, the doors to the laboratory opened once again. Into the room stepped two more ninja's dressed similarly to the man Bryan had just killed. One of them was carrying a staff in his hands while the other appeared to be unarmed. They were talking amongst themselves and did not notice Bryan's presence immediately. One of them, however, spotted the dead man's body that was lying on the laboratory floor.

"Holy shit! What the hell happened here?" The one quickly shot in. It was then that he also spotted Bryan standing by one of the tables. "You did this! Didn't you? You'll pay for this with your life coward!" The ninja with the staff yelled and began to charge toward Bryan before his friend even had a chance to react. The ninja jumped through the air and swung his staff at the now motionless form of Bryan.

As the staff headed directly for his head, Bryan raised his arm up in an attempt to block it. The staff connected with Bryan's arm and broke in half almost immediately, leaving not so much as a scratch on him. The ninja could only look on in horror as Bryan's fist came swiftly toward his face. The blow connected with it's target, causing a sickening crunch. The man's lifeless body skidded across the floor in a shower of blood and broken teeth. Rather than waste anytime admiring his handiwork, Bryan began motioning toward the second man while laughing in a most sadistic way.

Rather than stand and fight, the ninja bolted toward the open laboratory doors. Just as he reached freedom, he felt a pair of hands rap themselves around his throat. His was quickly dragged back inside and pulled toward a corner of the room. The last thing he heard before his neck snapped, was the insane laughter of Bryan Fury.

Bryan dumped the body of the third ninja into one of the corners of the room. Now that he had finished with those two, he was free to continue on with his mission. He quickly grabbed the map for the table and walked toward the open doors once again. "Well if all the Manji Party members are as weak and pathetic as those three were, I should be in for quite a fun day." Bryan remarked with a smile.


	4. Workout

**Legal Stuff: **I do not own Tekken or any of it's characters. Blah Blah Blah… you get the point!

Nothing much to say that hasn't been said already. Wanted to thank my loyal readers… (yes both of you!) for continuing to stick with my story even after the long delay.

****

The Staff of Ogre

Chapter 4: Workout

Mishima Zaibatsu

Craig Marduk tossed and turned in his bed for what seemed like hours. As he heard the sounds of boots walking by just outside his door, he used his pillow to muffle his ears as if the sounds were a lot louder than they actually had been. He turned over once again so he would be able to look out his window onto the star filled sky. After several long moments, he turned back over and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "Great… only 1:30 in the morning." He muttered to himself.

Ever since the incident with Armor King, Marduk had been unable to consistently get a good nights rest. Often, he found himself lying awake for hours at a time. At first, he had believed it was just due to the fact that the prison beds were extremely uncomfortable. But even after he had been released, the problem continued. Though the thing was, the accommodations at the Zaibatsu were excellent., much like those of a five star hotel. Never had he been in such a comfortable bed, even during his travels on the Val Tudo circuit. Marduk would have a hard time parting with what he had now even if he had a home to return to. Though Heihachi was an evil bastard, Marduk had to admit that he treated his valued employees very well.

Craig reached over near his alarm clock and grabbed the television remote. After a few moments of fumbling around in the dark, his finger finally found the power button. When the television snapped on, the first thing Marduk saw was some sort of commercial starring none other than Heihachi Mishima. Craig was not sure what bullshit cover story Heihachi was using to hide his Zaibatsu's criminal activity, and quite frankly, he could give a damn. "Wow… television sure is lousy these days." Craig muttered. He began flipping through the channels without even knowing what he was looking for. After about three minutes of channel surfing, something caught his interest.

The program itself was not what interested him, but rather, what was happening on the show itself is what caught his eye. Marduk had stumbled upon some sort of exercise program which gave him the sudden urge to get out of bed and take a trip to the gym. For one reason or another, Marduk always used a good workout as an excuse to clear his mind. Since the incident in the bar, Marduk found himself training more and more just as an escape from reality.

Marduk reached over and flipped the light switch and then shielded his eyes momentarily as the room was illuminated. After turning off the television, he slipped out of bed and made his way over to the dresser. He grabbed a white shirt and put it on, then searched the bottom drawer for a pair of sweatpants. After slipping those on, he grabbed his boots and put them on his feet. Marduk then slipped his keys into his pocket and went out the door, forgetting to turn off the lights as he did so.

Craig locket the door to his room and took off in a sprint toward the elevator at the far end of the hall. Since it was pretty late, the hallways of the Zaibatsu were mostly empty, save for the occasional guard on patrol. Marduk hit the elevator button and hopped inside when it arrived. Once inside, he studied the map on the back wall a few moments. According to what he saw, the Zaibatsu actually had two separate gyms. The first one was on one of the higher levels of the building, and was in fact, Heihachi's personal gym. The second one was located on the fourth floor and was used as a training center for the security guards. Marduk was pretty sure that Heihachi's gym would be off limits to all except Heihachi. Craig returned to the control panel and hit the button for the fourth floor.

Upon arrival, Craig stepped out of the elevator and started heading down the hallway. According to one of the signs he passed by, to get to the training center, he had to go down the hallway he was on and take a left at the next junction. Luckily for Marduk, the Zaibatsu still left some lights on this late at night. If he had not seen that sign, it might have taken him hours to find where he was going in a building as large as the Zaibatsu was. He continued to walk till he found the junction and then hung a left at it. From there it was easy, since the training center was the only door at the end of the long hallway.

When he arrived at the doorway, he noticed that someone had left the lights on in the training center. He found this particularly odd, since all the other rooms on the fourth floor had been dark inside. Perhaps one of the guards had still been awake and decided to have a late night workout? Either way, Craig would find soon enough. As Marduk pushed the door open, what he found managed to amaze him. Even with a man as wealthy as Heihachi was, Marduk never expected the gym to be as large as it actually was. Smack dab in the middle, was what appeared to be a sparring ring. The ring itself even larger than the ones used in the King of Iron Fist tournaments. This was only one room of several, however. There were separate areas for lifting weights, an area for stretching and aerobics, and even a room used just for treadmills.

While Marduk was busy admiring his surrounds, a sudden noise caught his attention. It sounded to him as if someone was working with a very large punching bag. He could tell the noise was coming from one of the rooms on the right, but he was unable to look inside from where he was standing. Marduk decided he would try and get a closer look, so he quietly made his way over to the doorway. When he looked inside, he found a familiar person fighting with one of the larger punching bags in the far corner of the room. Though she had her face hidden, the mask she wore gave her identity away almost immediately. The person he saw was that mysterious woman who had been in the board room during the incident a few days earlier. She was the one known as the Fox Thief, Kunimitsu.

As he watched her, he was amazed at what he saw. Her technique was flawless, even if she was only fighting an inanimate object. For one reason of another, Craig had the sudden urge to challenge this woman to a fight. If there was something he enjoyed even more than a good workout, it was getting the chance to fight with a worthy opponent.

Marduk slowly approached her, wondering if she had taken notice to his presence yet. His question was answered only a second later when she stopped kicking the bag and turned her head toward his. He nodded at her to show that he meant no harm. After a moment of awkward silence, he opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to his mind. "Nice moves."

Kunimitsu just stood there motionless, staring coldly at the man. She was not much of a conversationalist and she was not about to start trying. Kuni kept her hand close to the knife tucked into her belt since she was not yet sure of what the man's true intentions were. She had heard of this man before and knew what he was capable of. She was certain his name was Craig Marduk, a former Val Tudo champion and a convicted murderer as well. Normally, she would not kill an opponent during a sparring match without just cause. For this man, however, she was willing to make an exception.

"How 'bout it babe, care for some one on one?" Marduk asked in an arrogant tone of voice.

Kunimitsu looked at the man a little while longer, and then sighed. "Your funeral..." She replied without a hint of emotion in her voice. Though fighting a murderer would be dangerous, she had never backed down from anyone in her entire life. Plus, after over 20 years of cryosleep, a good fight was just what she needed to get back on top of her game. If she would be able to defeat Marduk, she would at least regain some of the confidence she lost during her last battle with Yoshimitsu.

Marduk nodded toward her and then headed out to the sparring area. "Shall we?" He asked, while turning back to face her once again. He waited until she nodded in reply and then turned around towards the door once again. Craig continued out into the next room, followed silently by Kunimitsu. He moved over to the right side of the ring and waited for his opponent to take her place on the other side. Once Kunimitsu was facing him, he bowed toward her and stepped back into his fighting stance. Being a former Val Tudo champion, he had faced all types of fighters before. However, never in his life had he had an opportunity to fight a true ninja. Marduk really had no idea what to expect. Though he was going into this fight blindly, he was confident that he would be able to defeat her as long as he avoided her knife slashes.

Kunimitsu did some last minute stretching before she got into her stance. In her mind, she knew the only way she was going to win this battle was with shear speed. The man in front of her was almost the size of a tank. Not only did he have the advantage in overall power, but he also had a much longer reach than she had. Kunimitsu stood at about 5'7, whereas she estimated her opponent to be about 6'5 and made completely of muscle. If anything, she hoped the man was as dimwitted as he looked.

After she made her bow to signify she was ready, Kunimitsu wasted no time in charging directly at her opponent. She felt trying to catch her opponent off guard was the best chance she had. Her plan had worked and Marduk had left himself wide open for her attack. She went low, sending a punch from her knife hand aimed directly at his stomach. When her fist connected, it felt like she had punched a brick wall. Her attack had almost the opposite effect as what she had planned. Rather than Marduk writhing in pain, he remained largely unaffected while her hand now hurt like hell.

Marduk had spent too much time gawking at the speed of this woman and it had cost him. He had let his guard down and she was able to quickly take advantage. Her shot, however, hardly even managed to faze him. He even noticed that it had backfired on her, causing her to hurt her hand instead of his stomach. Marduk decided to end the fight in one blow, rather than drag it out longer than necessary. He pulled his right arm back and sent the hardest punch he could muster directly at the mask on her face. However, he was shocked once again when she managed to jump completely over his arm. In mid air, she countered with a kick from her left leg to his head. "SHIT!" Was all he managed to yell as her boot connected with his jaw. He was sent reeling off balance and she managed to land two more punches into his chest before he was able to fully recover.

After landing four straight hits on her opponent, Kunimitsu attempted to sidekick Marduk right in his chest. Unfortunately for her, Craig managed to catch her leg before her kick connected. With one almost effortless tug, Marduk was able to pull her entire body towards his and punch her square in the mouth with his free hand. Kunimitsu fell backwards but was able to roll away before Marduk had a chance to follow-up his attack. She needed to think of something fast, but she was still dizzy due to Marduk's last attack.

"Not bad." Marduk remarked, and then began to crack his knuckles. "But that was just a warm up little lady.." He trailed off. From where he was standing, it looked as if Kunimitsu was still feeling the effects of that shot to the face he had given her earlier. He knew he would have to attack her now while she was not fully prepared for it. He then charged toward her, quickly closing the gap between the two. As he got to where she was standing, he sent a right hook aimed directly at her head once again. This time, however, she managed to duck under his fist and then thrust her knife forward at his right arm. Though he was able to move out of the way so as not to take the full force of the blade, she still managed to slice the top of his shoulder and tear some of the skin away. Craig winced slightly as he felt warm blood begin to trickle down his arm. Even through the pain, he managed to bring his knee up and slam it directly into her abdomen. Kunimitsu cried out in pain, nearly collapsing right into his arms. As she did so, Marduk grabbed onto her right arm which was still resting on his shoulder from her earlier knife attack. Once he felt he had a good grip on her arm, he pivoted his entire body to the right and flipped her completely over so that she landed on her back.

As Kunimitsu landed on the ground, she felt the air completely leave her lungs. At the moment, she was in an incredible amount of pain, but she refused to give in. When she looked up, she saw that Marduk intended to bring his foot down directly on her chest. At the last possible moment, however, she managed to roll out of the way of his attack. While she was getting up, she kicked her right leg around and swept Marduk's feet right out from under him. He fell to the ground with a thud and at the same time she managed to jump up onto her feet and back handspring herself out of his attack range.

Marduk managed to get to his feet just in time to see the ninja flip gracefully away from him This left him no opportunity to land another hit on her. Not even a moment later, Kunimitsu dashed back toward Marduk and preformed a cartwheel as soon as she came within a short distance of him. Having not been prepared for such a move, Marduk had no choice but to take the full force of both of her feet as they connected with his head. When Kunimitsu landed, she was no longer facing Marduk, but instead had her back turned to him. Luckily for Craig, he was able to recover while Kunimitsu was still looking away from him. As he attempted to tackle her from behind, however, she back flipped completely overtop of him so that he was now the one looking the wrong way. As he attempted to turn himself around to face her, she landed another kicked to his jaw. This time he fell flat on his back.

Marduk was able to quickly return to his feet while at the same time wiping off some of the blood that was now dripping down his lip. 'How can I hit her if she's so damn fast?" He thought to himself. Just then, she attempted to cartwheel towards him once again. This time, however, Marduk was ready for her. At the last moment, he back away only a few inches, causing her to miss him completely. Once again, Kunimitsu attempted to follow up her first attack with a back flip over Marduk's head. As she took to the air this time, Craig reached up and attempted to grab her in mid move. Though he was not able to grab hold of her body, he managed to get a good grip on one of her red pigtails that were hanging down off the back of her head. With one mighty yank, Marduk pulled on her hair causing her to fall to the ground. Kunimitsu cried out in surprise and let out of loud moan of pain as she hit the floor.

As Kunimitsu laid on her back, she could feel herself slipping in and out of consciousness. 'Is this the end?' She thought to herself. In her mind, she was certain Marduk would not hesitate to finish her off now that she was in such a vulnerable position. She could feel his arms wrap themselves around her neck and lift her of the ground in some sort of chokehold. All of the air suddenly left her as his grip grew tighter by the moment. Kunimitsu had to think of something fast since she was as good as dead if she did not escape his grasp. If she had not dropped her knife during the fall, she could just as easily stab him. But since the dagger was to far out of her reach, using it to escape was out of the question. It was then, however, that she had an idea. Slowly, her hand made it's way toward her pants pocket as if she was trying to reach something. Once she found what she was looking for, she removed the item, making sure Marduk did not take notice. However, just as Kuni was about to use what was in her hand, she suddenly saw nothing but darkness and her entire body went limp.

Marduk continued his sleeper hold on the woman, hoping that it would be enough to get him the victory. Suddenly, Kunimitsu stopped struggling and her body dangled lifelessly in his arms. He knew she was not dead, but he believed that she had finally lost consciousness. Marduk decided he would keep the hold on a few moments longer just to be on the safe side. Since he was not able to see her face and decipherer if she was truly unconscious or not, he would not take the risk of falling for another one of her tricks. Just as he decided that she had in fact, passed out, Kunimitsu burst back to life somehow. Before Marduk could even realize what happened, she threw some sort of strange powder at his face. The powder not only caused a burning sensation, but also temporarily blinded him as it made contact with his eyes. This time, it was Marduk's turn to scream out in pain.

Kunimitsu could feel the hold around her throat loosening and this was all the proof she needed to show that her plan had worked. Wasting no time, she lifted both of her legs up and them slammed her feet down as hard as she could, directly into Marduk's groin. The mammoth sized man had no choice but to release his hold on her completely and then double over in pain. Kunimitsu sat on the floor for several long moments, gasping for air. Once she was able to regain her bearings, she crawled toward where her knife had fallen.

Marduk was still in utter shock at the resourcefulness of this ninja. At the same time, he was debating which part of him hurt more; his eyes, his groin, or his pride. He began clawing frantically at his face, hoping to wipe some of the powder out of his now irritated eyes. Just as his tears kicked in to flush out the dust, he felt someone sit down on top of his chest. Before he was even able to speak, however, he felt the cold steel blade of a dagger press itself against the soft skin of his throat. "Wait! You win… I give up.." Craig muttered in defeat.

Kunimitsu quickly stood back up, allowing her opponent to get back onto his feet. From what she could tell, she had delivered a crippling blow to the Marduk's pride. Kuni's intuition told her that he was no longer a threat to her. Always one to have faith in her instincts, she turned her back to Marduk and headed towards the exit. It had been a ruff battle and she was in no shape to do anymore training at the moment. Once she got to the door, she stopped momentarily but did not turn back to face him. "Wash your eyes out with water as soon as you get the chance. If you do a thorough job, your vision will return to normal by morning." She calmly explained to him. When her instructions were finished, Kunimitsu pushed open the door and stepped out into the long hallway.

After the ninja had left, Marduk fell down onto the floor once again. If anything, the events of the past few months had been a learning experience for him. Back when he was the undefeated champion of the Val Tudo circuit, he always thought of himself as invincible. But now, after having been badly beaten by King, and then losing to a woman, Marduk was beginning to have second about his abilities. If he was to return to his former glory, he would have to train harder than he ever had in his life. First and foremost, however, he would have to go flush out his eyes before he ended up permanently blind. Marduk quickly decided a trip to the infirmary might be wise, not only for his eyes but also for the huge gash in his shoulder. In the past, Marduk never enjoyed having to accept medical attention after a fight. Whenever he injured himself, he always refused help from anyone. However, this time he would have to push his pride aside because he did not have the proper supplies needed to dress the wound on his own. If he allowed the wound on his shoulder to become infected, he would have a lot more problems then a few little cuts and bruises. He raised himself off the ground and began his long walk toward the infirmary. With luck, no one would be on duty there at this time of night, leaving him to fix his wounds without interference.

Mishima Zaibatsu - several hours later

Kunimitsu emerged from her bathroom, dressed in a white bathrobe. The clothes she had worn earlier were now lying on her bed, and her knife and mask were set carefully on the dresser. For the past three hours, she had been soaking her body in a tub full of warm water. The bruises she received from Marduk had been extensive and she was still in a great deal of pain. In fact, once she had left the gym, she had to limp the entire way back. Kunimitsu was still amazed that she even managed to get back to her room without collapsing. She even had to force her way out of the tub so that she would not turn into a prune. She limped her way over to the a chair in front of her dresser and the dropped down into it.

Even to this day, she was still shocked at what she saw when she looked into a mirror. In all reality, Kunimitsu's true age was somewhere around fourty-two. She was not certain of this, however, for she lost some of her memories due to the cryosleep. But as she stared into the mirror, the person looking back at her still had the appearance of a nineteen year old. She'd been asleep for over twenty years, but she showed no true signs of aging at all. Many people would kill for the opportunity to be in a position similar to her own, but Kunimitsu had mixed feelings about the whole ordeal.

At the moment, she knew almost nothing about herself. Ironically, most of the memories she had lost were the most important ones. She could not remember if she had any parents or siblings or even what her true name was. She was certain that she never had a true friend in her entire life, so remembering those names was already out of the question. The memories left to her were flashes of her days as a Manji member. Most of these images were of her former master, Yoshimitsu. The same man who was now her enemy. The man who had caused the predicament she was now in. However, inside, she was struggling with her own emotions. On one side were memories of Yoshimitsu raising her and teaching her everything she now knew about fighting. On the other hand, however, were the memory of the day he tried to kill her for stealing his fabled sword.

How and why she would attempted to take his weapon had been lost from her mind. Perhaps she had gotten greedy, or maybe there was another force involved. All she could remember now was that she had stolen the sword and ended up paying the price. Even today, she was still showing the effects of what happened over twenty years ago.

Kunimitsu silently opened her robe, and gazed at the hideous scar she now wore. The scar started just underneath her left breast and traveled downward in a diagonal motion across her abdomen. It continued down toward the her navel, missing it only by a few inches to the right, and ended just below that. That near fatal blow that caused the scar was delivered by none other than Yoshimitsu. The weapon he used on her was the very same sword she had managed to steal. How it ended up in his hands once again was a mystery in it's own right.

She closed her robe once again and continued to stare at her reflection in the mirror. All of these conflicting emotions were beginning to tear her apart on the inside. This was the single most important reason why she decided to join up with Heihachi's faction. She had nowhere else to go besides back to the Manji, and if she did that she was not certain what would end up happening. She had not even ruled out the possibility that she would be killed on sight. Kuni had to stay at the Mishima Zaibatsu at least until she had the chance to figure everything out.

There was always the fact that she was making a little pocket change on the side too. Maybe, if she managed to save up enough, she could buy herself a house somewhere and try to live a normal life. A little interaction with regular people might be good for a change rather than just keeping herself bottled up in her room like she had been doing for the past few weeks. Though she hadn't thought about it very often, she also had the option of settling down and starting a family of her own one day. However, she had a hard time picturing herself as a wife and a mother. Even making a single friend would be something of a miracle for her. For one reason or another, she always chose solitude over having any sort of companionship with others. More often than not, she found herself communicating with no more than a sentence or two unless it was absolutely necessary. Avoiding others had become a hobby of hers. In fact, she only left her room at night so that she could eat and train in peace. Having run into Marduk earlier was only dumb luck, something she would try to not repeat in the near future. She decided it was best to worry about that when the time came though. As for now, she needed some rest.


	5. Yoshimitsu's Fury

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Legal Stuff: I do not own Tekken or any of it's characters. But you already knew this, right?

Sorry for the long delay. Tekken 5 sort of killed all my aspirations for this story and ruined what little credibility it had. Anyway, try to think of this story as what would happen if Tekken 5 never existed. :p

****

The Staff of Ogre

Chapter 5: Yoshimitsu's fury

Somewhere in the skies over California

Cypher stared at the metal floor of the Mishima Zaibatsu helicopter for what seemed like ages. Currently, Cypher and several members of the Tekken force where headed towards their target point somewhere in San Francisco. Heihachi had sent them overseas to set the first stage of his plan into motion. Cypher was ordered to attack Marshall Law's dojo and eliminate the Law's as well as Paul Phoenix. If the Tekken Force members were unable to complete their task, then Cypher's backup plan was to lure the survivors to the Zaibatsu at any price.

"This should be fun…" Cypher muttered. He was looking forward to testing his own abilities against that of three very accomplished fighters. He was positive that the other fools traveling with him would be quickly disposed of by their more than worthy adversaries. Having to fight three men at once would be a challenge, but that was nothing new for Cypher. Being an assassin for hire, he was well versed in the art of combat and would be more than ready to overcome any obstacle which came his way.

Cypher was a cold and merciless man who enjoyed killing. To him, killing was an art. He took up this profession for that exact reason. Unlike most assassins, Cypher got into the business because he enjoyed the job more than he did the payoff afterwards. In fact, he had spent the entire flight thinking up clever and unique ways to kill the Law family as well as Paul Phoenix. So far, he was leaning towards crippling one of the Law's and making him watch his family and friends were slaughtered. The look of horror on that person's face would be more than enough to satisfy his sick and twisted desires.

"ETA to target, 10 minutes." The pilot called out from the cockpit. The members of the Tekken Force began loading their weapons and locking their equipment into place. Most of the men seemed rather nervous as they fumbled around in the poorly lit helicopter.

Cypher glanced at his watch one last time before the chopper landed. Currently, he was at least an hour ahead of schedule. That would give him some extra time to complete his mission and return to Japan by the deadline. The assassin quickly checked over his gear in preparation for the upcoming battle.

Dr. Boskonovitch's Home

Dr. Boskonovitch watched on as Yoshimitsu sat back in a recliner with his eyes focused on the television screen. The Manji leader was currently mesmerized by another one of those video games he always seemed to play in his spare time. The doctor was beginning to grow annoyed with the entire event. Every time Yoshimitsu stopped by for an armor upgrade,. he always vegetated for hours afterwards in front of Boskonovitch's big screen TV.

"How long do you plan to rot your brain with that stuff?" Boskonovitch asked curiously.

"Not now doc! I am almost on the final stage!" Yoshimitsu replied without taking his eyes off the screen.

It was true, Yoshimitsu knew he did spend far too much time fooling around with these games when there were other things to do. Even with the money they had stolen from Heihachi, the Manji clan was still badly undermanned. There were just not enough members to be able to aid every needy person they came upon. Still, most men would be happy with themselves if they had managed to help as many people as Yoshimitsu had. However, Yoshimitsu was not the type of man to give up no matter how few oppressed and/or poor people were left in the world. He was also not the type to sit back and allow evils such as the Mishima Zaibatsu to continue to exist in the world. Currently, he as formulating a strategy which might help bring down the evil corporation once and for all. However, to make such a strike, the Manji clan would need far more manpower than what they had. Such complicated issues were the reason why he was taking a break in the first place.

The Zaibatsu itself had its hands in what seemed like everything these days. They owned companies that made everything from computers to shampoo. Hell, even the video game he was playing was developed by a company which the Zaibatsu owned. Heihachi made it blatantly obvious that he was using these forms of media to make himself look like the good guy in order to take the public's attention away from his more shady dealings. The Zaibatsu even managed to portray him as the hero in the fighting game Yoshimitsu was playing. Heihachi's character was far stronger than any other character in the game. In fact, most of the other characters were made as stabs towards Heihachi's enemies. Yoshimitsu's favorite was the sword wielding clown who led a band of ex circus freaks turned criminals. Though Heihachi's inside joke was far from funny, Yoshimitsu had to admit that they managed to get a lot of his moves down pat.

Yoshimitsu had finally managed to win his game and he watched as the credits began to roll. Suddenly, the sound of the doorbell ringing caught his attention.

"Funny… I wasn't expecting any visitors today…" Dr. Boskonovitch muttered. The doctor quickly rushed towards the door while Yoshimitsu got up slowly to follow him. When he managed to open the door after removing the many locks, he found a young woman standing on his doorstep. She appeared to be a Native American wearing a brown vest and a jean skirt. Boskonovitch stood there silently for a brief moment until finally opening his mouth. "Well hello there young lady. What brings a pretty young girl like yourself to the doorstep of this old coot?"

"Hello there, would you happen to be Dr. Boskonovitch?" The girl asked politely.

"Why yes I am! But who might you be?" The doctor replied curiously.

"How do you do? My name is Julia Chang." The woman replied while giving him a polite bow. "I have been looking for you for quite sometime now. I was about to give up when a person in town directed me to this location. What I wanted to ask you was if you knew where I could find Yoshimitsu at? I have heard you two have ties with one another."

"Did I hear my name just now?" Yoshimitsu called out from behind Boskonovitch. As he stepped out into view, he spotted a familiar face standing in the doorway. He'd met Julia Chang at the last King of the Iron Fist Tournament. Yoshimitsu had come to learn of the young woman's goal to reforest her homeland. She had entered the tournament in order to retrieve some data on reforestation which was stolen by the Zaibatsu. Yoshimitsu used his spies to help trace the location of the disk to a small Mishima Zaibatsu facility near where the tournament was being held. He then helped Julia infiltrate the Zaibatsu's facility so that she would be able to get her data back. While Julia was busy with her mission, Yoshimitsu snuck off and stole an entire vault from Heihachi with the help of his clansman.

Yoshimitsu smiled and walked over toward Julia. "Ah Ms. Chang! It is nice to see you again. So tell me, what seems to be the trouble?"

Julia watched as Yoshimitsu stepped out into the light. He looked completely different from the last time she had seen him. That was no surprise to her though. Yoshimitsu was a man who constantly alters his appearance for one reason or another. This time, he was wearing a sturdy looking suit of red and gold armor. The armor itself gave him the distinct look of some sort of futuristic samurai. He also wore a skull shaped helmet over his head and it was covered by a glass visor much like a hockey player would wear. She quickly bowed once again and replied to his question. "I need your help once again Yoshimitsu. Dr. Abel is planning something heinous with the Genocell research he had stolen from G Corporation. When I found out that he was planning to take the research, I confronted him about it. Abel let something slip about merging human and devil cells, then he…"

"What did you say?" Yoshimitsu practically yelled out while she was still in mid sentence. "The devil cell? Heihachi can't be planning to use himself as a test subject, can he?" Yoshimitsu began going over everything in his mind. First there was the Staff of Ogre, and now this. Heihachi was defiantly up to something, but Yoshimitsu was still unable to piece together exactly what it was. It was most likely big, whatever it was. Heihachi would not begin hiring professional fighters unless his had some sort of scheme up his sleeve.

"What's wrong Yoshimitsu? What exactly is this devil gene he spoke of?" Julia asked curiously.

"I believe I'll field that question." Dr. Boskonovitch interrupted. "The devil gene itself was last seen during the second King of the Iron First tournament. The man who possessed it was known as Kazuya Mishima, someone you probably saw last tournament. Kazuya managed to turn into a creature known as Devil who was unspeakably evil and extremely powerful. It took a combined effort of several warriors until Heihachi Mishima managed to finally defeat the beast. The devil gene itself is said to increase the power of it's carrier tenfold. If Heihachi does manage to merge his own cells with the devil gene… then God help us all…" Boskonovitch trailed off.

"Yes your right…" Yoshimitsu turned back towards Julia. "If Heihachi already has both this Genocell research and a sample of Kazuya's blood, then he's probably close to completing his goals. I think its time we act on this before things get too out of hand. Come inside Julia, we must formulate a plan at once!" Yoshimitsu declared while moving aside to allow Julia access into the home.

Julia nodded and stepped inside. "I'm glad you've decided to cooperate. I myself would not be able to rest until all information on Genocell was safely away from Dr. Abel." Julia quickly halted when she noticed Dr. Boskonovitch closing the front door. "Wait a moment! I almost forgot about Tim!"

"Tim? Who are you talking about?" Yoshimitsu asked curiously.

Julia gave herself a mental slap on the forehead for having been so absent-minded. If it wasn't for Tim buying their plane tickets in the first place, she wouldn't even be here right now. "Tim Harrison is a friend of mine. He kind of insisted on tagging along to make sure I got the research back." Though in her mind, Julia knew he had come along to keep an eye on her. Tim seemed unable to understand that Julia was an accomplished fighter who could look after herself. He insisted she would need an escort on her trip. Even though Julia found that to be just a little insulting, she finally gave into him. Tim was her closest friend next to her mother Michelle. Besides, a little company on a long trip into a foreign country was not such a bad idea.

"Wait for me!" Tim called out as he ran towards the other three. He had to stop midway to catch his breath. Tim quickly realized that he had been holding them up so he continued running towards them as fast as he could. Once he was inside, he bent over slightly to rest his hands on his knees. "You…..must….be…..Dr. Boskonovitch!" Time blurted out while attempting to catch his breath.

"Why yes I am! Its a pleasure to meet you Tim." Doctor Boskonovitch smiled and motioned towards Yoshimitsu behind him. "And this is Yoshimitsu, leader of the Manji Clan."

Tim glanced over towards the man Boskonovitch had introduced. Yoshimitsu was truly an intimidating man indeed. With a man like him in charge, Tim was beginning to understand why the Manji Clan had become so powerful.

Yoshimitsu silently nodded towards the man and then turned his back to the three. "Come quickly, we have much planning to do if…" Yoshimitsu trailed off in mid sentence as he heard a familiar voice.

"Master Yoshimitsu!" A strangely dressed man called out as he jogged towards Boskonovitch's house.

"Oh my… seems this place is quite popular today." Boskonovitch commented.

"Kenshi! What's wrong? Why are you not protecting the village!" Yoshimitsu demanded.

Julia raised her hand up toward her eyes to shield herself from the sun. From where she was standing, she'd been able to get a good look at the man. From what she could tell, his clothing was very similar to that of Yoshimitsu's. One of the more disturbing features about this man were that his uniform seemed to be torn and covered with blood. He wore no mask so Julia was able to get a good look at his face as well. The man looked middle aged. If Julia had to guess, she'd say he was somewhere in his forties. His hair was dark brown and covered in what appeared to be soot. His face was also blacked as if he had been burned by or at least near a fire. Despite being somewhat handsome, Julia also noticed a deep sadness in his eyes.

Kenshi came to a stop once he was within a few feet of Yoshimitsu. He was momentarily silent until he managed to catch his breath. "The village.. It's been attack!"

Yoshimitsu could feel anger boiling up inside of him. "Tell me Kenshi! What happened?"

Kenshi almost flinched as he heard the anger and hatred in Yoshimitsu's voice. He was afraid to see Yoshimitsu's reaction when he told him the rest of the story. Kenshi himself was also deeply angered by what had transpired. "It was Bryan Fury sir… Somehow he managed to awaken earlier than expected. He began going on a killing spree throughout of hideout. At about the same time, Mishima Zaibatsu helicopters began attacking the village as well. They were helpless against Heihachi's troops and their weapons. Every last person in the village was slaughtered… including my wife and child…" Kenshi began to trail off during the last part. His heart had been burdened with sadness and thoughts of revenge. Even now he could still feel the tears welling up in his eyes.

Julia watched on in horror as the warrior related his tale to them. She could almost see the anger boiling within Yoshimitsu. Julia could tell that Tim had noticed it as well since he was now cowering behind her. "That's awful…."

Doctor Boskonovitch couldn't help but feel the same anger in which Yoshimitsu now was. He'd worked closely with the Manji Clan for some time now and he'd even grown to know some of it's members personally. The thought of any of his friends being hurt in the attack deeply troubled the doctor.

The Manji leader stared at the ground for several painstaking moments as he shook with an uncontrollable rage. He finally raised his arm up and slammed his fist into Dr. Boskonovitch's wall. The brick began to crumble and there was now a large hole were Yoshimitsu's fist had been. "THOSE BASTARDS! How dare they attack and kill innocent refugees? Heihachi has just signed his own death warrant for this!" Yoshimitsu continued to shake with anger and he looked back towards Kenshi once again. "Where the hell were you during all of this? You were supposed to protect them! And were the hell are the rest of my warriors!"

Kenshi looked down towards the floor. What he had to say next would probably kill Yoshimitsu on the inside. "I tried to protect the village.. But the odds were too overwhelming. The Zaibatsu's men captured me and I had to watch as some soldier dressed in red butchered my family right in front of me. All of the other warriors had been murdered by Bryan Fury… They even blew up out base and burned down the village. The soldiers were about to execute me as well when I managed to find an opportunity to escape. I then waited server hours in the woods until I was certain they had left. I've spent the passed day mourning for the loss of my loved ones as well as searching for any survivors… but I found no one." Kenshi went silent for almost a minute. Reliving the events of the past few days was much harder than Kenshi would have expected. "Just a few hours ago I also received a transmission from one of out spies. He reported that Bryan Fury knew the identities of ever last one of our agents. Apparently, that man was the only one left who hadn't been killed. Near the end of the transmission I heard screaming and then everything went silent. Since then, there has been no contact with anyone."

Yoshimitsu stood silently as Kenshi continued on. With each new sentence came more sadness. It felt like his heart had completely sank within his chest. He thought of each and every one of his warriors as his own children. Now that Kenshi was the only one left, there was a deep whole within his heart that could never be repaired. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel sorrow for Kenshi. What he had experienced was something no man should ever have to bear witness to. He'd suddenly forgot about Julia Chang and her ambitions. All Yoshimitsu could think about now was killing both Heihachi Mishima and Bryan Fury. "I will exact my revenge upon all of them for what they have done!" Yoshimitsu left Dr. Boskonovitch's house without saying another word.

"Wait master, I'm coming with you! I refuse to stand idly by and allow them to get away with what they have done. I will find that man in red and avenge my fallen friends and family!" Kenshi quickly began to chase after Yoshimitsu who'd already managed to travel a great distance in the matter of seconds since he left.

"You do what you need to do, but Fury is mine! That coward will pay for deceiving me and then killing my warriors!" Yoshimitsu remarked coldly without even looking back towards his student.

Julia stood motionless for only a minute until she began chasing after the other two. She had to go with them if she wanted any chance of recovering the GENOCELL data. She left in such a hurry that she completely forgot to say goodbye to Dr. Boskonovitch. "Wait for me!" Julia called out to the Manji ninjas.

Tim politely bowed to Dr. Boskonovitch and began scratching his head. "Its been a pleasure meeting you doctor. I have to hurry though before Julia leaves me behind again!" Tim dashed off after the other three who were almost out of sight. He was beginning to have second thoughts about coming along on this trip. Things sounded more dangerous than ever now that Yoshimitsu was going to storm the Zaibatsu with only three people to help him. Scratch that, Tim was pretty certain that he would not be of any help at all to the other fighters in the group. Even with no martial arts training at all, he promised Julia he'd look after her. Tim was not about to back out of that promise now.

"Good luck…" Doctor Boskonovitch whispered. He knew no one would hear him, but he didn't care. Those four would need all the help they could get if they were planning on storming the Zaibatsu. Boskonovitch only wished he would have been able to offer them something that might have been of some assistance. The best thing he could offer at the moment was keeping his fingers crossed for their safety. "First things first… I have to clean up this mess he made with my wall.."

Mexico

A time of relaxation and peace was just what King needed after the long months of training for the last King of the Iron Fist tournament. He'd usually spend most of his free time with the children in his orphanage. Another thing he enjoyed doing was catching up on the world news. The latest headlines in the news as of late were about some sort of museum break-in somewhere near Mexico City. Apparently, one person managed to sneak in, disable all the alarms, beat up all the guards, and steal the artifact without any help. Normally, such a story wouldn't interest King. However, the artifact which was stolen was the Staff of Ogre.

King's heart still felt the sadness of losing his mentor, the original King, because of Ogre. The young Mexican wrestler was never able to exact revenge on the beast for what he had done. Still, King was not very certain what the artifact's value was nor did he know what connection it had with Ogre. For all King knew, it could have been a weapon the monster used back when he was still alive. King was never able to get a good look at Ogre, so anything was possible. In all honesty, King was somewhat relieved that the item had been stolen. Such an artifact like that, which belonged to and evil being like Ogre, has no place in a museum. It was just hard for King to accept that anything related to Ogre would have any value whatsoever. A murdering monster such as that should stay dead and buried for good. Likewise, all items pertaining to it should be destroyed along with the creature.

The thought of Ogre killing the original King also brought back horrible memories of what happened Armor King not to long ago. Tragedy and death were two things that seemed to follow King throughout his life. Worse yet was the fact that two men who King saw as mentors and father figures had both been taken from him before their times. It was hard enough to lose one close friend, but losing two was something most men were not able to take. King always had the option of taking the easy way out and committing suicide after Armor King was killed. However, running from problems was something Armor King had always taught him never to do. Besides, King knew that Armor King would have rather had him continue on fighting than kill himself over the loss of his mentor. Rather than giving up on life, the young Mexican wrestler confronted Armor King's killer during the fourth Iron Fist tournament and defeated him. In the end, King took pity on Craig Marduk and let him live rather than finishing him off. King also knew that Armor King would have never wanted him to kill another man just for the sake of revenge.

"Mr. King? A package came in the mail for you today!" A young boy said while carrying a brown box in his small arms.

King smiled warmly at the boy. The child's name was Joaquim and he was one of the kids who lived in King's orphanage. Most of the children there were abandoned or abused by their parents before King had taken them in. Running an orphanage was defiantly difficult since King tended to get attached to most of the children just as they were about to be adopted. Helping children in need was the one thing which brought joy to King's life. Being around the children was the only time King could remove his jaguar mask and truly be himself rather than taking on the whole wrestling persona he put on for the rest of the world. Besides, a mask like the one he wore in the ring would probably scare most of the kids away. King nodded and took the package out of the child's hands. "Thank you Joaquim! Now run along and play with your friends."

King laughed as the young boy ran off and almost fell over his own two feet a few times. Once the child was out of sight, King began expecting the package for any sort of return address. Surprisingly, the package was labeled with the Mishima Corporation seal. King had no real idea what Heihachi Mishima would even bother sending him. When he removed the wrapping from the box and got the flaps open, what he found inside horrified him. There, above a written note, was what was left of Armor King's mask after it had been almost shredded by what looked like a knife. King began to ball up his fist in anger upon seeing this. Whoever had sent him the mask actually had to dig up Armor King's body in the first place. Not only did they have the nerve to rob Armor King's grave, but they also desecrated his beloved black jaguar mask. King was not going to stand by and allow them to destroy Armor King's legacy anymore than they already had.

As he began reading from the note, things got much clearer for King. Apparently, the man who sent the package and tore up the mask was none other than that coward, Craig Marduk. It was hard to believe Marduk had the nerve to do such a thing after King defeated him and sent him to the hospital last tournament. Marduk went so far as to rub Armor King's name into the mud by attacking him all throughout the letter. He then went on to call King a coward for not having the balls to finish him when he was down. King could not take it anymore. He tore up Marduk's note and threw it into the fireplace. King would find Marduk and finish him off once and for all for pulling a stunt like this one. Craig had even been generous enough to provide King with a return address and an invitation to fight in a rematch. Marduk had apparently found shelter at the Mishima Zaibatsu's headquarters and was most likely helping them with whatever underhanded scheme Heihachi was planning this time. King decided he's pay Heihachi and Marduk a visit to see what was truly going on between them. When King met Marduk in battle this time, they would play for keeps.


	6. Zaibatsu Strikes

**Legal Stuff: **I do not own Tekken or any of its characters.

Well I guess my story is starting to get stale since only one person really reviews it anymore. Oh well, must continue forward!

**The Staff of Ogre**

**Chapter 6: Zaibatsu Strikes**

Mishima Zaibatsu Holding Cells

Nina Williams felt her stomach growl once again. The Zaibatsu hadn't fed her since she broke a guards arm when he tried to get a little too frisky. Normally, Nina was able to pull herself through any situation. However, going several days straight without any food whatsoever was beginning to take its toll on her. Nina was also coming to realize just how much of a bore prison life actually was. All she had to entertain herself with was four plain looking walls that she could stare at. She silently cursed herself for the thousandth time for having put herself into this situation. If only she ignored the invitation to begin with, she would not even be in this mess. Nina had dealt with a lot of shady characters in the past, but doing business with the Mishima Zaibatsu was defiantly something she should have avoided. Though she hadn't heard much about this Heihachi character, the Zaibatsu itself had a very bad reputation even in the underworld. If she ever did manage to escape her cell, Heihachi was going to pay the price for messing with her.

Nina suddenly thought of Anna once again. Whoever that woman was, she seemed very familiar to Nina. Still, no matter what relationship they might have had in the past, Anna was still the main reason why Nina had been captured in the first place. Anna would suffer the most for having attacked Nina from behind and then locking her up in this hell. That bitch even had the nerve to come visit Nina once her consciousness had returned. It was Anna herself who revealed that she was the one who attacked Nina back in Heihachi's office. Nina immediately felt rage boiling inside of her upon first seeing this woman. Anna didn't even have to say a word and Nina already wanted to kill her. Perhaps facing Anna in battle would release some of Nina's locked away memories.

Memories were not the first thing on Nina's list of priorities. Still, it would be nice to know a little bit more about herself as a human being. Even if she had created a new life for herself already, knowing more about her past life would still be nice. Nina knew she had always been an assassin by trade. There was no other use she could find with the skills she already possessed. Jobs were rolling in the minute she had been awakened from cryosleep, so she must have acquired quite a reputation in the past.

Anna had also mentioned to Nina that they were sisters. This could be the reason why Anna seemed so familiar to her even though they had only met once before in a previous tournament. However, Nina was not about to allow Anna off the hook just because they were related to one another. Blood ties meant little to her when she had no prior knowledge of any sort of relationship between them. Anna was nothing more than another target for her now. Once Nina was free, Anna's life would be over. "Say your prayers you bitch!"

Marshall's Dojo

Marshall peered out the window of his dojo. It was getting late and it would be almost time to close up the place. Another boring day had gone by with little activity. Marshall was beginning to worry that he would not be able to keep his place open for much longer if this streak of inactivity continued. The bill collectors were already on him like dogs as it was. If he was unable to come up with the money to make this months payment on the building, he'd lose his dojo as well as his home. Law let out one gigantic sigh. It seemed as if the economy would be the toughest opponent he'd ever faced. Marshall was beginning to take what his mother-in-law said about him being a deadbeat fighter seriously. Since Marshall hadn't once been able to take home the prize at the King of the Iron Fist tournaments, perhaps fighting was the wrong career choice. However, if his dojo failed just like his restaurant had, then what was left for him?

"Any news on Jin?" A familiar voice caught Marshall's attention. Hwoarang looked up towards Marshall from the corner he had been leaning against for the past few minutes. He'd been staying with the Law family for quite a few days until Marshall could track down Jin for him. In reality, Hwoarang wasn't in too much of a hurry to find Jin since the Law family had quite a large house. Besides, he was allowed to stay for free as long as he helped out around Marshall's dojo everyday. Since the place was always dead, this job was the easiest Hwoarang had ever had. He also managed to pick up a few pointers each day when he spared with veterans like Marshall and Paul Phoenix. Both men were more than enough training to greatly improve his skills. They were also far better competition than Hwoarang could ever find in the streets of his hometown. The young Korean never realized how fun a good match could be without having to go through the trouble of picking fights with every punk he came across until someone worthy happened to come along.

Marshall let out a sigh and began shaking his head. "No…. I still haven't been able to get any information on Jin Kazama or anyone related to him. Don't worry; I have some sources looking into it." Marshall wanted to help the young man out, but located Jin was beginning to become a hassle. There weren't many people out there who knew Jin personally and could help with his whereabouts. Despite these problems, Marshall was starting to enjoy Hwoarang's company. There were very few men out there as gifted in fighting as he was. It was also nice to have another martial artist around to help sharpen Marshall's skills. He had to admit that Hwoarang was a great help around the dojo and he didn't have to pay him either. Most of Marshall's other workers had already quit when the money stopped coming in. Even if the place was not very popular, it was still a chore to run it without any kind of help.

Something inside Hwoarang suddenly snapped causing him to slam his fist into the wall. "Damn that bastard! He's hiding from me, I know it! When I get my hands on him, he'll wish he'd never been born!" Hwoarang was usually able to control his temper as long as Jin wasn't involved. He hated everything about Jin. "He's probably somewhere close by… watching me with that smug look of his!" The young man didn't even notice the concerned look Marshall was now giving him. Hwoarang hated not being the best. Ever since that public humiliation he suffered during their last battle, Hwoarang had been dead set on taking revenge. In his mind, a tie was almost as bad as a loss. He couldn't stand not knowing what the outcome would have been if the fight was allowed to continue past the time limit. His rage was further fueled each time he missed his opportunity to face Jin at the past few King of the Iron Fist Tournaments. If he could only manage to get Jin into the same ring with him again, he'd be able to beat him in front of the entire world without having to worry about a time limit draw. Being able to fight until someone actually won was one of the things which drew Hwoarang to those tournaments in the first place. Fame, fortune, and plenty of women were the other main reasons why he went each year. However, he could safely say he had none of those things after competing in two straight tournaments. Hwoarang still wasn't widely known, he was still dirt poor, and he still had the same lousy luck with the ladies. It all wouldn't have been a total loss if he had managed to get a match with Jin at least once. Alas, it just wasn't meant to be.

Hwoarang was beginning to wonder if he actually was as skillful as he thought. Sure, most people cowered in fear when he walked by. Still, Hwoarang wasn't considered the best. The first Iron Fist Tournament he entered turned out to be a complete failure. He did manage to defeat Forest Law as well as a veteran Hong Kong police office who was a master of many different forms of martial arts. However, his dreams were literally cut short when he got matched up against a freak using armor and a sword. How someone like that managed to get into the tournament was beyond him. His next tournament wasn't much different from the first. He did beat a young, pretty Capoeira fighter but he ended up being beaten by Kazuya Mishima. The thing that made that loss so bitter was the fact that Kazuya happened to be the father of Jin Kazama, his mortal enemy.

"This place sure is quiet…" Paul Phoenix called in from the open doorway in the front. Neither one of the two men had even noticed Paul walking up towards the dojo with Forest close behind. Both of them had just come from the sporting store where they were buying some supplies for the yearly camping trip Paul and the Laws took. Paul had two large sleeping bags in each arm and Forest was lugging one of the tents they had purchased. "I got an extra sleeping bag in case Hwoarang decided to join us this year.

"That won't be necessary, I've burdened you enough already." Hwoarang replied with the slightest hint of sorrow in his voice. In all honesty, it sounded like fun to him. However, he didn't have time to sit around a campfire and play childish games with people he barely even knew.

"Darn it Paul! Why do I always get stuck carrying the heavy stuff?" Forest whined as he lugged more equipment into the dojo.

"Oh just stop whining and hurry it up! You're a growing boy and you need to build up your strength." Paul remarked sarcastically.

Marshall began to chuckle while watching the two. He always enjoyed the way Paul would pick on his son. Though Marshall loved Forest, he had to admit that the young man needed to learn a bit of humility. Arrogance was not the sign of a true warrior. Marshall just hoped that his son would learn that before it was too late. He also liked to see Forest show a bit of respect towards his elders. Perhaps he might have been better behaved if his father wasn't always out fighting in silly tournaments. However, such were the results for the life Marshall had chosen. This was one reason why Marshall didn't want Forest to follow in his footsteps while making the same mistakes he had. He did want Forest to become a great warrior and inherit the dojo, but he did not want to see him neglect his loved ones like Marshall had. Just then, the faint noise of a helicopter caught his attention. Having lived in a busy city like San Francisco for so long, such noises were a common occurrence. However, this helicopter sounded as if it was slowly making its way towards them.

Forest began making faces behind Paul's back as he lugged some of the more heavy equipment into the dojo. He'd grown quite tired of the abuse Paul had been putting him through all day. Being a younger man definitely didn't pay off on some occasions. Forest had spent his entire life trying to live up to his father's legacy. Of course, this left him open to a lot of bullying from both his father and Paul Phoenix. They would often force him to do work around the house and dojo while making claims that Marshall had to do most of that kind of work when he was in training as well. Forest was about to open his mouth and protest once again but the overwhelming noise from a helicopter overhead caught his attention.

"Damn, it almost sounds like that thing is just hovering over the dojo!" Paul remarked towards to himself. The noisy machine was almost making it impossible for Paul to even think.

Marshall looked up towards the skylight and almost fell over in surprise. "That's because it is…" As he watched the helicopter slowly, he almost thought he saw ropes being dropped down out of the sides. He was about to write this off as a hallucination when several men suddenly jumped out of the helicopter and began descending towards the roof.

The three confused warriors began to watch on in awe. Hwoarang slowly walked towards the others to get a look at what had caught their attention. Just then, one of the men raised a pistol towards the glass and began firing. Forest, Marshall, Paul, and Hwoarang dove for cover as bullets and broken glass began to rain down from the ceiling. Nine heavily armed men had already descended from the helicopter and were now pointing their weapons towards the martial artists. The man who had shot the window earlier stepped forward. Due to the differences in his uniform compared the other soldiers; it was easy to see that he was the leader of the attack group.

"Surrender immediately or you will all die!" Cypher barked out at them. Though in reality, they would all die whether they surrendered or not. However, it would make his job a whole lot easier if they didn't resist.

Paul slowly got back to his feet and dusted his uniform off. "Sorry pal, but we aren't about to give in to the likes of you. If you're going to shoot us, get it over with!"

"Hey uh... Wait a minute Paul! Aren't you going to ask the rest of us how we feel about that?" Marshall remarked nervously. The thought of taking on nine heavily armed men didn't sound too promising, even to a world class martial artist like himself. The only problem was that Paul would be too thick headed to back down from any challenge, no matter how great the odds were. Marshall was also worried about the safety of his son. He would never put Forest's life on the line for the sake of honor.

"I agree with Paul. I will not give in to a couple of wimps and their toys." Hwoarang stated coldly. There was no way in hell he would surrender to them when he still had other important things to accomplish in his life. He would never allow himself to die before he got the chance to beat that chump Jin Kazama. This cowardly attack definitely reeked like the Mishima Zaibatsu. If he could get to the bottom of it, he might end up finding Kazama.

"Very well then... Men, put away your weapons! I want to see them suffer first." Cypher knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted to take them on first before anyone was killed. Though he was a cruel man, he still felt all warriors deserved an honorable demise. Shooting them would be far too easy to be any fun at all.

"Oh a fight you say? Well bring it on! Don't you realize that you guys are messing with the strongest fighter in the universe?" Paul cried out while shaking his fist towards them.

Marshall covered his face with his hand to hide his embarrassment. It was hard to shut Paul up once he started on one of his ridiculous ramblings.

"Is that so? Well, we will just have to see about that!" One of the guards remarked as he slowly closed in on Paul's position.

"You can have the other grunts, but the leader is mine!" Forest blurted out with confidence in his voice. He wanted to prove once and for all that he was capable of becoming just as good a fighter as Paul Phoenix and his father. Of course, he also enjoyed shutting up a loudmouth every once and a while.

"Very well kid... You shall be the first to die at my hands." Cypher coldly replied. The assassin began slowly circling around his prey. He knew Forest Law would be more than a worthy opponent, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He'd have to finish him off quickly since he had bigger fish to fry. Cypher made several quick jolts in an attempt to get the younger fighter to make the first move. Sure enough, his veteran maneuver paid off. Forest started off the battle with a straight right punch towards Cypher's face. The assassin moved his head away to the right, allowing the punch to whiz right by his face. Quickly, he reached up and wrapped his left arm around Forest's bicep to prevent him from escaping. Cypher landed a quick right hand to Forest's abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. After doing so, Cypher rotated his body completely around so that his back was now facing Forest. As he did this, he pulled Forest's arm with him and then he tugged on it with all of his might. The young warrior was thrown completely over Cypher's shoulders and he crash landed on the floor in front of him.

Marshall could do nothing but watch on as his son was easily disposed of by the mysterious fighter. He was so caught up in the moment that he barely had time to see the soldier's kick coming towards him. Marshall blocked the man's foot with both hands and threw his leg hard to the right. "Bad move…" Marshall remarked as the soldier was sent spinning in a complete circle. As he turned to face Law once again, the crafty fighter caught him with four quick punches to the face, followed by a hard uppercut to knock the man out. His unconscious body was sent flying through the air into the wall close by.

Hwoarang easily disposed of two lackeys with one spinning kick. He turned his attention the man who was now pummeling a helpless Forest. The young taekwondo master decided he had seen enough. He charged right for the man, plowing through several of his underlings in the process. When he came within several feet of the man, he jumped toward him and attempted to catch him off guard with a kick to the side of his head. Cypher took notice to his attack and ducked under it at the last minute.

"What? You want some of this too you little bitch?" Cypher bluntly remarked. He could see that he'd already struck a nerve in the kid. Whoever he was, he wasn't supposed to be at the dojo. Though Cypher had no data on him, he looked so familiar. Something about his eyes just reminded the man of someone he knew. However, he'd have plenty of time to ponder that later on. As he looked at the opponents in front of him, he knew his chances were dwindling. Only a few of his men were still standing after several had been disposed of quicker than he originally thought. Cypher needed a way to quickly turn the tables on this battle. He shrugged his shoulders and drew his pistol from its holster. In a nonchalant fashion, he aimed and shot Forest right in the thigh. Forest collapsed onto the floor almost instantly.

Marshall looked on in horror as his son fell to the ground. What had once been a controlled situation had now gone spiraling out of control. All that was going through his mind now was helping his son. He rushed toward son's fallen form only to find himself staring face-to-face with the barrel of an assault rifle. Apparently, one of the soldiers had decided that he had enough of playing fair.

"That's far enough! We can't have you interrupting the boss's fight. Move and inch and I might let myself get a bit trigger happy." The guard smugly noted.

"Hey Forest, are you still alive over there?" Paul called out while holding one of the soldiers up by his collar. He turned quickly and tossed the man into another grunt who was trying to sneak up behind him. Both men fell to the floor and did not return to their feet.

Pain shot through all of Forest's body as he tried to figure out what had just happened. One minute he saw the man draw a gun and the next he woke up on the floor. His hand darted down towards his right thigh and confirmed what he already had known. He had been shot and was now losing blood quickly. He stared up at the man in disbelief. Forest was not only surprised by the man's abilities, but also by his shear lack of concern for others. From the look of things, Hwoarang was about to try his hand at defeating the mysterious fighter. Forest wanted to cry out to Hwoarang, to wish him luck so that he would not fall victim to a similar tactic. However, he decided to remain silent and put his faith in the proud young fighter since he knew it would probably be what Hwoarang wanted.

"I'll make you pay for that!" Hwoarang remarked as he stared down the attack squad's leader. The anger inside of him only grew more intense as the soldier began to laugh out loud at his remark. Hwoarang had to hand it to him, not only was the man confident, but he seemed to be the only one of the enemies to display any kind of skill. It was obvious that if he defeated this man, the others would easily fall.

'If anything else, this kid should be good for a laugh!' Cypher thought to himself. Having been so caught up in his thoughts, Cypher was almost knocked out of his boots by a spinning jump kick from the young man's left leg. It registered within the assassins mind immediately that his opponent was using taekwondo, one of the many styles Cypher himself had come to learn. Though he managed to duck under the first blow, Hwoarang managed to recover, switch his stance, and send another jump kick from his right leg. This time, however, Cypher caught the kid's leg with his left arm and flattened him with a punch from his right.

Hwoarang slowly returned to his feet after that embarrassing display. He was quickly realizing that the man was a much more experienced fighter than he originally anticipated. It would take a good deal of trickery on his part if he was to gain any kind of an advantage in this fight. Hwoarang raised his right leg as if he were about to attack. He hopped forward one step, getting the response he had hoped for. The man raised his guard, and then dropped it again for a brief instance. This was all Hwoarang would need to launch his surprise attack. Within the blink of an eye, Hwoarang jumped straight in the air and launched a lighting fast kick from his left leg aimed at the man's jaw. The kick connected, knocking the man back a few feet. The dull thud of his gasmask bouncing across the dojo floor could be heard.

'How could I let this happen?' Cypher thought to himself as he recovered from the attack. Not only had the young man managed to knock off his mask, but he also caused him to bleed from the mouth. His entire body began shaking in anger as he looked back toward the young punk who'd just made the biggest mistake of his life.

A smirk quickly formed on Hwoarang's face when his sneak attack had paid off. From the looks of things, his opponent wasn't enjoying himself anymore. That would teach the cocky bastard a lesson in humility. Just as Hwoarang was about to make a remark, he caught sight of the man's true appearance. The look on Hwoarang's face quickly changed from one of arrogance to a look of complete shock. The man standing before him had short, spiky blond hair. What was instantly recognizable about his facial features was the small scar on his right cheek. While Hwoarang struggled to believe it, deep down, he knew it was true. The man standing before him was the same man who had murdered his parents all those years ago.

Cypher couldn't understand what was going on. The minute the kid saw his face, it was as if he'd seen a ghost. There was also the mystery of why this fighter seemed so familiar to him. He was smart enough, however, to take advantage of this huge opening. With one fluid motion, he swung his right leg up and caught Hwoarang right in the side of the face. The young challenger was sent airborne and skidded to a halt several feet away near Paul Phoenix. Paul immediately knelt down to see if he was alright.

Marshall had seen more than enough. The distraction of Hwoarang's fight with the gang's leader was enough for him to catch the soldier off guard. Marshall quickly kicked the man's weapon away with his left leg and knocked him cold with a right hook. The solider was unconscious before he even knew anything had happened.

"Hwoarang, are you alive?" Paul called out as he shook the young man. After a minute or so without response, Hwoarang's eyes slowly opened and looked up towards Paul. The man must have gotten quite a good shot in since it seemed as if Hwoarang no longer even knew where he was. He turned his attention towards the fighter, who appeared to be the only enemy left standing. Whether he liked to admit it or not, it might take a group effort to defeat such a skilled warrior.

"This whole plan has gone to hell." Cypher muttered to himself. He had completely underestimated the skills of these fighters and he overestimated the abilities of the Tekken Force. Now that he was alone, he was facing at least a two on one situation barring the fact that Hwoarang did not get back up after that kick to the face. Hwoarang… that's what Phoenix had called him anyway. Cypher found it funny that even the kid's name seemed familiar. He'd have to look into it later once he returned to base. Just then, he caught sight of Forest, who had somehow gotten up onto his knees. It seemed like he was attempting to exact some sort of revenge at Cypher's expense. However, the assassin quickly put an end to that with a knee to the jaw.

"Forest! You bastard, I'll kill you for that!" Marshall screamed out towards Cypher.

Cypher ignored the petty threats. He reached down for the radio which was strapped to his leg. After removing it, he raised the device to his mouth and pressed the button. "Mission failed, initiate Plan B."

Paul, Marshall, and Hwoarang didn't even get a chance to ponder what was going to happen next when the noise of the helicopter overhead suddenly grew louder. All their questions were answered by a rain of bullets from overhead. The three men scattered, quickly realizing that they were now cutoff from Forest. The shower of automatic fire continued to follow them as they darted for the backdoor. They hadn't even noticed that one of the Tekken Force soldiers had regained consciousness and was now running for his life as well.

Cypher smirked as the three insects darted away to their hole. If anything, at least this plan appeared to be working. He waited momentarily for them to drop the rope ladder from the helicopter. He decided it best to take Forest with him just to insure that they made their way to Zaibatsu Headquarters like Heihachi wanted. As Cypher lifted up into the air with Forest under his left arm, he motioned his head towards the chopper. Moments later, several grenades were tossed down into the dojo. If this didn't kill them, it would sure piss them off a whole hell of a lot. Either way, Cypher would be happy with the outcome.

Paul kept running despite the fact that he didn't even know about the grenade attack. As he busted out the backdoor of the building, a huge explosion erupted from inside the dojo. The four men that had managed to escape the building had now been sent hurdling through the air from the shear force of the grenades. Marshall, Paul, Hwoarang, and the solider remained motionless for well over a minute.

As Marshall regained his senses, his thoughts immediately went to Forest. Last he saw of him, Forest was being taken away by the leader of the men who had attacked them. At the very least, Marshall was glad to know that Forest wasn't killed in the explosion. However, that still left him no clues as to where his son was being taken. However, upon spotting the solider that had escaped with them, he knew he'd get his answers soon enough. He grabbed the man by his shirt collar and slammed him against the brick wall of a nearby building. "Who the hell are you people, and where did you take my son!" He screamed.

Hwoarang moved in closer to hear what the man's response would be. Though he cared about Forest's safety, he was more interested in finding that bastard who murdered his parents.

Heihachi's Office

Everything was going according to plan. After getting a status report from Cypher, the ruthless billionaire was pleased with the results. Not only was Manji Clan destroyed, but Marshall's dojo was gone and Forest was now in custody. His scouts had also informed him earlier that day that King was now on his way. It seemed as if that note from Marduk that Heihachi forged worked just wonderfully. "This calls for a celebration!" Heihachi joyfully blurted out to Anna.

"Mmm… What did you have in mind?" Anna remarked. She was a bit confused seeing as how they had just finished making love only minutes earlier.

"Pick out the nicest outfit you can find, I'm going to hold a Zaibatsu ball tomorrow night. By the way, make sure ALL of our most valued employees find their way to it. I have an announcement I want to make." Heihachi remarked calmly. As if on cue, the phone in his office began to ring. He picked up the phone, raised it to his ear, and then set it back down a few seconds later.

Anna looked at him with a hint of confusion in her face. "What was that about?"

"It's time…." Heihachi cryptically remarked.


	7. Zaibatsu Ball

Legal Stuff: I do not own Tekken or any of its characters.

**The Staff of Ogre**

**Chapter 7: Zaibatsu Ball**

Mishima Zaibatsu Ballroom

Craig Marduk paced back and forth though the large room for what seemed like an eternity. Marduk wasn't even certain what this room was, though it looked almost like some sort of throne room. Scratch that, it had to be a throne room. Though it was puzzling to think about what Heihachi used this room for, sure enough, there was a large throne at the far end of it. The large chair even had a long red carpet and stairs leading up to it.

So far, this grand ball Heihachi planned was turning out to be nothing more than a boring party crowded with a bunch of rich old fossils. Though Marduk had no idea who any of them were, they all appeared to be part of the highest class of social elites. He really did hate such boring festivities. He'd never been comfortable in such settings, preferring more rowdy parties to the lavish ones. At least they were serving various brands of expensive wine to help hold him over. "Maybe if I drink enough, this party won't suck as much as it does." Marduk muttered before taking a sip from the wineglass in his hand.

Seeing as how the host hadn't even bothered to arrive yet, Marduk was beginning to wonder why he was required to come here in the first place. After having spent so much money to decorate the large room they were in, it was a surprise that he didn't even show his face once. It was hard enough as it is to go to a party where you didn't even know any of the guests, but then being required to dress in a tuxedo on top of it was more than he could handle. If there was one thing Marduk truly hated, it was wearing a monkey suit. However, he did manage to sneak in a pair of black sunglasses so he could at least feel a slight bit of comfort.

Marduk began to look around the room and see if he could spot someone to talk to. Hell, almost anyone would do right about now. His eyes first fell upon the man known as Lee Chaolan. He was dressed in a tuxedo similar to Marduk's, only much more expensive looking. There was a red rose pinned to the jacket, and he was wearing a black top hat to match. Strangely enough, he was also carrying a black cane in his right hand. Standing next to him was the same woman who accompanied him to the meeting in which Heihachi first introduced Lee a few weeks ago. She was dressed in a form fitting, strapless red dress that was quite short, and her hair was tied into a bun. After having seen some of the outfits she's worn, Marduk was starting to wonder just what her job as secretary entailed.

The bored fighter let out a heavy sigh. He really had no interest in chatting with either of them. He'd also noticed Dr. Abel standing around in a white tuxedo when he first showed up at the party, but Marduk had no real interest in tracking down a pompous ass like him. Being talked to like he was a dumb child was something Marduk wasn't too fond of.

His last real option for entertainment was Anna Williams. At the moment, she was alone at the bar, which had been set up on the right side of the room. Well, she was alone, save for the many visits she'd been receiving from the men who were attending the party. Marduk just assumed they were attempting to use their riches to win her over.

Some of them even had the nerve to do so right in front of their dates. However, Marduk really couldn't blame them. There was no denying that Anna was looking very sexy at the moment. From his vantage point, it appeared as if she was wearing a paper thing blue silk dress that revealed a lot of cleavage. There was also a long slit up the side of the bottom designed to show off her legs. Knowing that woman, she was probably enjoying all the attention the other guests were paying her. That was made obvious enough by the playful smile that never seemed to leave her lips.

Marduk sighed heavily once more and pushed his sunglasses back up with his index finger. He slowly raised his glass of wine to his lips to take a sip. Just as he happened to turn towards the door with the hopes of leaving, he caught sight of a new guest who had just arrived and was now standing only a few feet away from him. Marduk nearly spit his drink all over the floor when he realized that it was Kunimitsu, the same woman he had battled a few nights ago. However, she now looked like a completely different person. Her elegant black gown stretched almost all the way to the floor and she wore a pair of matching black gloves that covered most of her arms. Her long red hair hung loosely behind her, with some of it resting on the front of her shoulders to cover up the straps from her dress. There was also a beautiful jade pendant around her neck that caught his attention. Hell, the only thing recognizable about her was that white fox mask she always seemed to wear.

'I think I found some entertainment…' He thought to himself.

Marduk casually walked toward the woman, trying his best to play it cool rather than looking desperate for company. He couldn't tell whether or not she'd even noticed him yet since she was still standing still with her hands crossed in front of her. When she finally turned to look at him, he gave her the largest smile he could muster.

"Well hello there, I guess we meet again!" Marduk blurted out. All he got out of her in response was a simple nod. He was beginning to realize that breaking the ice with this woman would be a lot more difficult that he had originally thought. Without any thought, Marduk just blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "It's really a shock to see you looking so… feminine." Even as he was talking, he gave himself a bit of a mental slap for having said something so stupid and offensive.

Kunimitsu stared at the man in utter disbelief. It seemed a bit obvious that he had no idea how to talk to a woman. However, she really wasn't one of those girls who'd take offence to such a thing. In fact, she felt the urge to fire back with a sarcastic remark of her own. "Yes… and it's really a shock to see you looking so… civilized."

Marduk scoffed in response. Though there was no denying he deserved it, he still didn't appreciate being insulted. This was turning out to be even more difficult than fighting in a tournament. "Well yeah, I deserved that. But still, didn't anyone tell you that this wasn't a costume party?" Marduk looked directly at her mask. "Why don't you take that thing off for once?"

She stared at him coldly for a brief instant before lowering her head to look towards the ground. "I've made it a habit to only reveal my face to those I trust. Such is the ways of a ninja. As it stands now, the only person I truly trust is myself."

"Well, I guess that's a good enough excuse for me…" Marduk began to smirk before continuing on. "But tell me, how would you like to get the chance to dance with a real man?"

"You must be joking… Please don't tell me that line actually works on some women." She coldly replied. It was hard to believe that she'd only been at this ridiculous party for less than a minute and already someone was annoying her.

"Oh definitely! Just watch, I'll charm the pants right off of the next girl I see!" Marduk proclaimed with confidence.

Kunimitsu rolled her eyes and sighed softly. This man just didn't want to take a hint. All she wanted was to be left alone, not to have to watch some silly demonstration. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited impatiently for another woman to actually walk by. When a young woman with blond hair finally did, Kunimitsu looked on as he used the same pathetic line once again.

The woman burst out laughing after Marduk tried to put the moves on her. "Well, if you see one, let me know…"

At this point, Marduk had to slap his hand over his face. This night was definitely not going as he had planned. He didn't even bother to look at Kunimitsu; he already knew what her response would be. Just before he could muster up some sort of excuse, a familiar voice echoed out form behind him.

"Ah! Craig Marduk! I've wanted to have a word with you for quite a while."

Marduk quickly spun around and came face to face with Lee Chaolan. He was a bit puzzled at first as to why Lee had taken interest in him. "Oh I see! You must be looking for an autograph!" Marduk blurted out. Once again, he let himself spew out the first thing that came to mind.

Lee chuckled loudly at Marduk's comment. If there was one thing he liked to see in other people, it was confidence. "Well, something along those lines. I've been a big fan of yours for quite some time. Actually, I've even gone to see some of your matches live. It's just a shame that you finished off all of your opponents so quickly." He began to smirk after that last remark. "Well, to make a long story short, I meant to introduce myself at the last tournament, but I didn't quite get the chance."

Marduk couldn't help but look confused even after the long explination. Lee didn't appear to be the type of guy who enjoyed watching val tudo matches. Besides that, he didn't seem the type to even take interest in any fighters other than himself. Though he still wasn't certain if the Lee was just handing him a line of bullshit, Marduk was flattered. "Well, it's nice to meet you then."

"Indeed." Lee replied calmly. "I was hoping that maybe we could become friends in the future." He smiled toward Marduk and held out his hand in a gesture of greeting.

After hesitating for a moment, Marduk finally shook his hand. "I guess we will have to see what the future brings. As of now, you don't seem like too bad of a guy."

The grin on Lee's face seemed to grow wider by the second. "Oh, I think you'll find I can be a very valuable ally to have." Lee removed his hat after taking notice to the woman who was still standing behind Marduk. He knew he had seen her somewhere before, possibly during the meeting. "Well, what do we have here? Is this lovely young woman with you?" Lee questioned as he motioned his head towards Kunimitsu.

"Well, no I wouldn't say that…" Marduk chuckled softly and then ran his hand across his hairless head. He leaned in closer to Lee and whispered, "You might want to watch out for that one, she's pretty feisty."

Lee laughed loudly and patted Marduk on the back. "Don't worry friend, that's the way I like them." He took a few steps forward toward her before bowing and holding out his hand. "I'm Lee Chaolan, miss?"

Much like Marduk, Kunimitsu stared towards him hesitantly. No matter what Marduk thought, she knew he wasn't one to be trusted so easily. However, rather than make a fuss, she decided to just going along with it. She placed her hand on top of his and nodded her head towards him. "Kunimitsu…"

Lee kissed the top of her hand and then looked towards her skeptically. "Kunimitsu you say? I should have known the minute I first saw that mask of yours. I must say it's a shame though…"

"What is?" She replied while removing her hand from his.

Lee continued to grin as he took a good long look at her. "Why, keeping such beauty hidden away like that. A mask really doesn't suit you; I think you'd look even lovelier tonight without it."

Kunimitsu had to admit that man did have a way with words. She could almost feel her cheeks turning red from embarrassment. "Thank you, I will take that into consideration..." She knew that she would never do that, but she felt like humoring the man at least. In reality, she hoped he'd just drop the subject and go away.

"I must say it is an honor to finally meet you as well. If my memory is correct, you were the only fighter I didn't get a chance to introduce myself to back during the second Iron Fist Tournament. I was disappointed too. I was very eager to meet the first non-leader in the history of the Manji Clan to receive the title of Mitsu. Besides that, I always introduce myself to all the lovely young ladies who enter the tournaments. It's a shame that you were the only fighter who didn't show up for either the pre-tournament banquet or ball that Kazuya hosted." He paused for a moment, as if he were thinking about what he would say next. "Then I had heard a rumor about you being killed during your tournament match…"

Kunimitsu hung on every word of his story. Finally, she had found someone who might be able to tell her a bit more about herself. "Please, I want to know what else you've heard about me!" Kunimitsu was aware that there was a hint of desperation in her voice but she really didn't care.

"Oh, I get it now!" Lee exclaimed. "You were a part of the Cold Sleep program, weren't you?"

All she could do was nod her head in reply. She barely even noticed the look of utter confusion on the face of Marduk. Kunimitsu couldn't blame him either, they probably sounded like they were both a bit crazy at this point.

"Well that explains a lot. When you first told me who you were, I figured you were lying to me. I knew you looked far too young to be the real Kunimitsu. She should be in her forties by now." Lee began to stroke his cheek between his thumb and index finger. "So I guess the rumors of your demise weren't too far off either?" Lee looked toward her questionably.

"No, I was nearly killed at the hands of my former teacher. Unfortunately, I can't remember much beyond that." She took a deep breath before looking directly at him. "I just hoped someone would be able to help me with that… Again, if you know anything, tell me!" She demanded.

Lee could sense the desperation in her even without having to see her face. Though she was pushy, he still had the urge to help her out. "Well, I don't really know much else, seeing as how you've always had this aura of mystery about you. But I'll tell you what; I can let you in on a bit of top-secret information." Lee leaned in even closer and spoke in a soft whisper. "Apparently, the Zaibatsu scouts have reported that Yoshimitsu is on the move. He's returning to his headquarters right now, but he should be on his way here soon enough. Maybe you should ask him once he gets here."

"Wait, just what is this all about?" Marduk cut in. He'd already grown tired of being ignored by both of them.

"Thank you, I'll be sure to do that." She replied without even giving thought to Marduk's question.

Lee smiled and turned towards Marduk once more. "Well, I think I will get down to business now. I feel I can trust both of you, so I have a bit of a proposition."

Marduk looked around nervously. At the moment, all of the other guests seemed to be either occupied with dancing or talking among themselves. He leaned in closer and spoke just loudly enough to be heard over the music, "What kind of proposition?"

At this point, Kunimitsu was just as confused as he was. She couldn't possibly guess what Lee wanted with the two of them.

"I need people I can rely. Heihachi may be my father but I don't trust him one bit. What I'm proposing to you is a pact. I'll watch your backs, if you agree to watch mine." Lee was hesitant to ask them, but he knew it had to be done. He could only hope that neither of them was truly in league with Heihachi, because then he'd really be in trouble.

Marduk had to contemplate the question. On one hand, any allies around this place could prove to be a good thing. However, going against Heihachi wasn't the smartest idea either. "I think that sounds fair enough. I'm just telling you now though; I'm not agreeing to go against Heihachi or anything like that."

"Oh, I'm aware of that. I don't want to start a mutiny, only make a few friends in a hostile environment." He turned towards Kunimitsu to see how she felt about his plan.

Just as she was about to give him some kind of reply, Kunimitsu spotted Anna Williams walking towards them. She didn't care at all for that woman. In fact, her mood was beginning to grow sour even at the sight of her.

"It's been quite a while Lee!" Anna called out towards him.

"Oh Anna, it's you!" Lee replied insincerely. He'd had a history with the woman, which would be quite clear to anyone nearby. They had slept together on more than one occasion way back before Anna was cryogenically frozen. Unfortunately for him, she hadn't lost her memory like Kunimitsu had during the process. Quite frankly, Lee couldn't stand the woman. It was obvious from her current relationship with Heihachi that she hadn't changed a bit. She was still the same gold digger she'd always been.

"My Lee, you look as handsome as ever!" Anna exclaimed. She smiled wickedly after seeing Marduk. "So, Craig Marduk was it? I'm surprised to see you here. You don't seem the type to dress up and mingle with the upper class."

Marduk began mumbling under his breath. There would be nothing that would please him more than to punch that bitch's lights out. Not only were her insults cruel, but they were painfully obvious as well. It almost seemed as if she was trying to piss him off. "Yeah well, we can't all spread our legs for whoever has the biggest bank account..."

Anna laughed out loud. Filth such as Marduk wasn't even worth arguing with. She shrugged off his remark and then turned her attention toward Kunimitsu. Anna decided not to say much to this woman since she still freaked her out a bit. "Oh hello. Nice dress…" The tone of her voice made her lack of sincerity obvious.

Kunimitsu stared coldly toward Anna. She'd already decided not to dignify her with a reply. Empty compliments were not something that impressed her and she never felt the need to suck up to people she obviously didn't like. Judging by the remarks of Marduk and Lee, it was already obvious that they felt the same way she did about this woman.

Once Anna began talking to Lee again, Kunimitsu saw it as her opportunity to slip away from the group. Just because she was practically forced into coming to this party didn't mean she actually had to socialize with anyone. She moved slowly towards the bar in the hopes that she could find some peace over there. She purposely sat down in the chair on the farthest end, away from all of the other guests.

"What will it be ma'am?" The bartender asked.

"Just water…" Kunimitsu replied. She ignored the strange looks he had been giving her in the hopes that he would just go away. She was beginning to realize that pushing people away had become a reoccurring theme for this night.

The man shrugged his shoulders and went off to get her a glass. Once he finished filling it, he set it down in front of her. "Here we go! One water."

Kunimitsu stared down at the glass while waving the man away. When he finally left to serve another customer, she lifted her mask up and drank half of it with one big gulp. She quickly lowered her mask again when she heard someone walking up behind her.

"Well, you must be that Manji Ninja, one of the last of your kind if I'm not mistaken." A man with white hair, a black tuxedo, and scars covering his face slowly approached her. He raised his hands up to show her he meant no harm when she jumped up to face him. "Whoa there! I'm not looking to start a fight. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Bryan Fury."

"What the hell do you want?" Kunimitsu barked to show her obvious distrust. "And how am I the last of my kind?"

Bryan smirked from ear to ear. "Well you see I killed all of them, every last ninja. Luckily for you, you're on our side."

Kunimitsu was hardly amused by this man and his antics. "You disgust me! Don't believe for even an instant that I would be as weak and easy as those other fools."

Bryan laughed out loud after hearing that last comment. "I believe you of course. However, right now I am only concerned with finishing off that coward, Yoshimitsu. After that, Heihachi promised to give me a real challenge. You see, I plan to kill him once he is fully transformed. That will prove to me once and for all that I am the most powerful being there is."

"Well I'm afraid you're too late. Yoshimitsu's life belongs to me." Kunimitsu remarked. She began to walk past him without even giving him a second glance.

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Bryan remarked coldly towards the woman. The cyborg realized that he might have to finish off both of them if he hoped to get what he wanted.

Kunimitsu continued walking without turning back. She had spotted another door earlier, and now hoped to get some fresh air. The ninja pushed and shoved her way through the crowd of people, getting more than a few harsh remarks in the process. As she got closer to her goal, her hopes were confirmed.

As it turned out, the doors lead to some sort of lavish balcony. It was a strange thing to have on the side of a building like this. She stepped outside, allowing the cool night air to fill up her senses. It was a good change of pace from that stuffy ballroom. She leaned against the railing and stared up at the beautiful star filled sky. The one downfall to this situation was that the silence caused the same thoughts to run through her head again. She still had no idea who she really was, or if an encounter with Yoshimitsu would even revive some of those lost memories. Worse yet, that encounter with Bryan Fury had led her to believe that she might not even get that chance. All these worries were causing her to lose her sense of reality. In fact, she had been so preoccupied with these thoughts that she hadn't even heard the door opening and closing behind her.

"There you are!" Marduk called out towards her. "I just had to get away from Lee and Anna. They were arguing like a couple of children!" He noticed he wasn't getting any kind of response from her at all. From the way she was standing, she almost seemed sad to an extent. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Why do you keep following me?" She questioned.

"Well you know… I felt like spending a beautiful night like this in the company of a beautiful woman." He noted in another failing attempt to get her to open up with him.

"Please… you don't even know what I look like." She responded without even turning to face him. "If you want to win me over then you might as well just forget it. Besides that, I'm not worth it…"

"Don't flatter yourself babe, I just wanted to get some action!" He gave himself yet another mental slap for that last remark. The fact that she gave no response was probably worse than actually getting told off. Marduk would have to remind himself next time that joking around with this woman was out of the question. "Seriously though, you interest me, and there has been something I've been meaning to ask you."

Kunimitsu continued to look up at the stars. She figured she might as well just play along with him since he couldn't seem to take a hint. "Yeah, what is it?"

Marduk slowly took a step towards her. "What did Lee mean when he mentioned the Cold Sleep experiment?"

She sighed heavily and looked down towards the ground below. This wasn't really a subject she enjoyed talking about. "Well, I may look like I'm not even twenty years old yet, but I'm actually older than you are. It was a little over twenty years ago in fact; I was involved in a dispute with my former teacher. Our quarrels even forced us to fight against one another. He ended up defeating me in battle. I was badly injured and he just left me there for dead… Not long after than, Heihachi's forces found me and cryogenically froze my body for the next few decades. To make a long story short, I've lost most of my memories in the process." Kunimitsu found it odd that she was explaining all of this to Marduk. She gazed back at the stars and shivered as another cool breeze hit her bare skin. "Now… I've joined up with these maniacs in the hopes of facing my teacher once more. Either I somehow defeat him and possibly regain my memories, or he will finish me off for good this time. Whatever may happen, I will accept the outcome. I really have no right to be alive after all."

Marduk frowned upon hearing this. He didn't really like to see someone just throw their life away, making the same mistakes he himself once made. "Well, sometimes I have trouble figuring out who I am as well. As you probably already know, I am a convicted murdered. Though I never meant to kill anyone, it was still my fault. Ever since that day, I've always had trouble looking into the mirror. I might never be able to forgive myself." He paused momentarily. "I've only joined onto this silly project because I hope to make some slight bit of redemption by supporting my parents for what little time they have left. I know it's not much, but it's the least I can do to make it up to them after they had to find out their son was a murderer." Marduk laughed briefly at the hilarity of the predicament he'd put himself into. "However, it seems as if I made a foolish choice once more. Heihachi is not the kind of person I would be proud to be in league with."

Marduk smiled warmly and moved a few feet closer to her, removing his jacket in the process. "Don't let it get you down too much, just make a new life for yourself. You're still young; you'll be defined by what you do in the future, not by what's occurred in the past. So for now, try to just forget about it. It's not worth throwing your life away over."

Kunimitsu felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was actually crying. It seemed as if all her emotions she kept bottled up were finally finding their way to the surface. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt his jacket being placed on her shoulders. Her mind began to race back and forth. Maybe he was right, maybe she should just forget about the past. There might be things that she wouldn't want to remember. Either way, she had to finish things with Yoshimitsu before she would be able to move along with her life. There was a score to be settled, and this was a matter of pride. However, even without finding out about her past, Marduk's words might help her move on in the future.

"Just so you know, I have your back around here from now on." Marduk noted. He didn't know why, but he had the strong urge to look after her ever since he had heard her story. That woman may put on a strong front, but it was obvious that she'd become quite fragile on the inside. This might be his opportunity at redemption, his opportunity to ensure that someone else didn't have to go through what he had. Besides that, he liked her. She was beginning to remind him of a younger sister. Though he couldn't understand why that was seeing as how he'd never had one of his own.

Kunimitsu hugged the jacket tightly around her body. "Thank you… For everything…" She had spoken sincerely toward him for the first time since they'd met. She wasn't completely sure if she could trust him as of yet, but he had actually shown her kindness despite how cold she was toward him.

"Hey, don't mention it." He turned to face the balcony doors once more. "I'm heading back in now, see you later."

"Goodnight…" She remarked softy. Kunimitsu looked up towards the moon, trying to gather what strength she had left so she could attempt to pull herself together. This just wasn't her. She didn't let her emotions get out of check like this. Never in her life had she allowed herself to break down, especially in the presence of another person. All she knew now was that she could never go on with her life as long as this inner turmoil continued. Silently, she wondered if Yoshimitsu was looking up at the same moon right now.

"Well, that's my good deed for the year." Marduk muttered as he reentered the ballroom. He didn't know where he got those words of encouragement from, but he had to admit he was proud of himself. It wasn't too often that he actually helped someone else out. He couldn't do that too often, however. If people heard he was getting soft, it could ruin his reputation.

Marduk stopped cold in his tracks as a dead silence fell upon the room. Despite a few whispers, one could probably hear a pin drop. It took only a few seconds for Marduk to locate the source of the disturbance.

Heihachi Mishima slowly walked through the crowd, making his way towards the throne in the front of the room. Following him closely behind, were Dr. Abel and an unmasked Tekken Force member. Marduk quickly realized that the man must have been Cypher. The two men behind Heihachi stopped just before they reached the stairs and then turned to face the rest of the people in the room. Heihachi, however, continued up and stood in front of his throne so that all would be able to see him. At this point, Marduk was completely confused as to what was transpiring.

"Ladies and gentleman, I thank for coming this evening. Now as investors, you've probably been wondering what you're money has been going towards." Heihachi mouth began to curve into a wicked smile. Slowly, he removed his tiger print jacket and set it down on the chair behind him. "Well, after years of research, the first stage in my plan is complete…"

Marduk watched in horror as bolts of electricity suddenly began to emerge from Heihachi's body. They continued to surround him, seemingly intensifying with each passing second. The lights in the entire room began to flicker from the immense power which was now emanating off of Heihachi. His eyes began to glow bright yellow, and his skin turned a dark shade of black. Horns burst out of Heihachi's head with a sickening crack. The shirt he was wearing began to stretch and rip for some strange reason. Marduk quickly figured out the answer as a pair of demonic black wings sprouted forth from his back. Heihachi let out a violent scream and arched his back as the strange electrical field shot off of his body and created a dome around him, tearing up the ground as it came in contact with it. This must have been it, the devil form which Marduk had heard rumors of and which Heihachi mentioned during the board meeting. "What the hell have I joined up with?" Was all Marduk could manage to say.

Heihachi struggled to breathe for almost half a minute. The transformation took a lot out of him, and he still wasn't quite used to it yet. It had only been a few hours since the procedure was completed, so his body still hadn't regained a lot of its lost energy. He slowly looked up to see all of the horrified faces around the crowd. Save for Bryan Fury, everyone else looked as if they were about to piss their pants. He couldn't blame them though; he still wasn't quite used to it either. Heihachi knew something needed to be done before a riot broke out. It was time to see just who was with him and who was against his goals.

"Do I hear any objections?" He called out in a booming voice. That would be the signal for his men. Several armed solider ran in through the large doors at the far end of the room. Even as they began surrounding the frightened guests, more soldiers burst through the large glass windows, unhooking the grappling ropes from their belts as they landed. Throughout the room, screams and the clicking of machine guns could be heard. "Anyone?" He repeated.

As Heihachi watched to see if anyone stepped forward to oppose him, Cypher heard a loud beeping coming from his radio. When he went to answer it, all he heard was gunfire followed by static. He turned toward Heihachi and called out to him, "We have an intruder!"

"Excellent…" Heihachi remarked with a smile.


	8. The Heart of a Champion

Legal Stuff: I do not own Tekken or any of its characters.

I'd like to thank you all for your patience with me.

**The Staff of Ogre**

**Chapter 8: The Heart of a Champion**

Mishima Zaibatsu Ballroom

Things had suddenly gone terribly wrong. One moment, Marduk had been dieing of boredom and the next he had witnessed a man transform himself into some sort of devil creature and now there were several guns pointed toward him and the rest of the party guests. It was becoming apparent that he should have just stayed home today. Not only had he been shot down by many of the women at the party, but now he was going to be literally shot down if he didn't do something fast. One thing he noticed about Heihachi and his minions was that it was best just to keep your mouth shut at times like this. Agreeing with Heihachi was one way to ensure you'd live longer.

The muffled sound of distant gunfire ended the standoff between the Heihachi's guards and the party guests. Some began to scream as the entire building was shaken with the sound of an explosion. Even as some of the people ran away for their lives, Heihachi seemed to remain calm as if nothing was even happening. Marduk was beginning to become a little uneasy himself. Perhaps that large scale assault against Heihachi that the guards had been warned about was finally happening. Marduk smiled at the thought of it. "About time I get to earn my pay…" He muttered under his breath.

"Marduk, get ready…" Lee remarked as he strolled up toward him. "This might be the moment we've been preparing you for." Lee casually began to remove his tuxedo jacket and roll up the sleeves of his shirt. It wasn't as if he hadn't fought someone in formal attire before, he just happened to like this tuxedo.

"Who do you think they are? And how many of them are there?" Marduk questioned. Though he was not scared, he didn't want to foolishly rush into a battle that could possibly get him killed.

"I really have no clue… Heihachi picked one hell of a time to hold a ball…" Lee glanced back toward his father. From the look on Heihachi's face, it was obvious that he wasn't in the least bit worried. If that was the case then maybe he didn't even have to soil his new dinner gloves today.

Marduk could do nothing but nod his head in reply. Things probably were for the best this way though. At least the attack had put an end to the boring ball he'd been forced to attend. He was suddenly startled as another explosion rocked the entire building. "What the fu…"

Balcony

Kunimitsu continued to look up at the night sky. She smiled underneath her mask, enjoying the peacefulness of this secluded part of the building. It was moments like this where she could finally take her mind off of all of her troubles. Even if it would last only for a brief few minutes, at least she didn't have to think about the past and the mistakes she had made. She removed her mask and set it on the large railing in front of her. As a cool burst of air hit her face, she subconsciously pulled Marduk's oversized coat tightly around her.

The serenity of the moment has shattered by a sudden shockwave which snapped her out of her daydreaming. She knew this could only mean one thing, the Zaibatsu was under attack. Kunimitsu lifted up the leg of her dress just long enough to remove her kunai from its concealed sheath. After throwing on her mask, she ran back out into the ballroom, headed directly for Lee and Marduk. She caught glimpses of the armed guards and the broken windows throughout the room, but she decided to ignore them for now.

"What's going on? Is it Yoshimitsu?" She demanded. This was the worst possible time for her to be caught in such a ridiculous outfit. She could just see the look on Yoshimitsu's face when she showed up to take her revenge in a gown. One thing was for certain, she'd never wear a dress again as long as she lived.

Lee looked toward the kunoichi and shrugged his shoulders. "Actually, we were just asking ourselves the same thing. I think Heihachi must know though. Let's wait to see what he says." Lee paused momentarily as he looked over her. "Oh and before you rush out, you might want to go change your clothes. I don't see you defeating him dressed like that. Unless, of course, you just want to take your dress off and fight him in nothing at all…" He snidely remarked.

Kunimitsu shot him a glare which could scare even the bravest of men. She almost considered forgetting Yoshimitsu and just using her dagger on him instead. No wonder everyone seemed to think that Lee was nothing but a prick.

Marduk looked toward Kunimitsu and smiled. "Hey! If it is this Yoshi…whatever guy, you want us to get your back?"

"I don't need any help from you!" She shot back coldly.

"Fine, fine… Sorry I asked!" Marduk replied while waving his hands in a sign of peace. "But hey, don't come crying to us if he kicks your ass…"

"You might as well just let us men handle things for now. We wouldn't want to see you get hurt." Lee remarked jokingly. He jumped back a few inches after Kunimitsu removed the tuxedo jacket and threw it at Marduk. After she stormed off, Lee turned his head to look at the man. "She's moody today…"

Marduk laughed loudly and slipped his jacket back on. "Hey, I warned you earlier to watch out for her. We really have to learn to just shut up at times like this." Marduk crossed his arms. "Anyway, do you think it's safe for us to just stand around blabbing like this?"

Lee shrugged his shoulders, "Who do we have to worry about more; the intruder or Heihachi?" Lee looked grimly toward his transformed father once more. If he had known that Heihachi would have actually achieved his crazy goals, he would have never joined up with him in the first place. "Despite my Combot guards not yet being online, none of the soldiers seem too concerned with what's going on. My suggestion is to just wait patiently for now until we get more information." Lee looked past Marduk momentarily. "Oh and now is the best time to go apologize to our friend over there. We need her on board to help watch our backs for us."

After taking a deep breath, Marduk turned to look at Kunimitsu. "Why does it have to be me? It's so hard to get through to that woman…" He sighed heavily. "Fine, I'll take the brunt of it for you even though it's mainly your fault. He moved slowly away after getting one last smile of encouragement from Chaolan.

Kunimitsu looked back toward Lee and Craig once more, wondering if she had been a little too harsh. She did tend to become a little edgy at times, and her people skills could definitely use a little work. She wasn't surprised at all when she noticed Marduk walking her way yet again. From the look on his face it was pretty obvious that Lee put him up to it. He was probably going to try some halfhearted apology so she'd join their little group. It might be the best thing too. She wasn't blind; she'd already seen the shocking transformation Heihachi had undergone. As terrifying as it was, she'd known it was coming. It was pretty easy for her to keep tabs on everyone around the entire complex given the stupidity of Heihachi's security force. A very small part of her was frightened for what might happen to anyone who got in his way. Despite all of her flaws, she still wasn't heartless. If Heihachi and his company needed to be stopped, there was no way she could do it alone.

"What's with this silence?" Marduk cut in. "All the guests are getting pretty edgy. Is Heihachi going to kill us or is he going to at least let us in on what's going on?" He paused to look down at his jacket. "I hope he honestly doesn't expect us to jump right into the battle after making us buy these expensive outfits for his little party!"

"I stole mine." Kunimitsu remarked bluntly. She wasn't going to lie to the man; she was a thief after all.

Marduk stared blankly at her for several long moments. "Um… Ok then… I guess you don't have to worry, but I actually planned to return mine when this was done." He tilted his head around to look at her neck. "Did you steal that pendent you're wearing too?"

"What? This?" Kunimitsu took hold of the necklace and began to play with it between her fingers. "Yoshimitsu gave this to me."

Craig continued to look puzzled. "This Yoshimitsu guy… Were you two lovers?"

She literally scoffed after hearing him ask such a question. "Of course not! Yoshimitsu was once like a father to me. I never knew my real parents, but he practically raised me as his own." She continued to look down at the jade pendent. "He gave me this when I was awarded the title of Mitsu. That is the highest honor you can receive in our clan. When he gave it to me, he said it was to signify me becoming a woman." She paused due to the difficulty of reliving things like this. "Before that, he'd always just call me 'little kitsune' instead of using Kuni."

"Kitsune?" Marduk questioned.

"Yes, it means fox. It was my favorite animal and what I chose to associate myself with." Kunimitsu smiled to herself. "I'll never forget when he told me that he picked this particular jewel because it matched my beautiful eyes." She paused for a second to reflect on the bits and pieces of her memory. ¡°It's funny how I can only remember things associated with him yet nothing else, not what his face looks like nor even about my own past. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised though. Yoshimitsu taught me everything from how to fight to the English language…" She knew deep in her heart that she had so many things she wanted to ask him. It was never clear to her why she was the only one in the clan with bright red hair and green eyes. Yoshimitsu never told her why she looked the way she did, and why all the other villagers mocked and hated her for it. Little things like that continued to haunt her every night when she went to sleep. She couldn't even tell what dreams were real and what were not.

Marduk continued to silently nod his head. It was obvious this girl had a lot on her mind and she had been desperate to find someone to tell this to. She'd been through so much already at such a young age while keeping all her feelings bottled away. What she really needed was a psychiatrist. "Well, I may be no Dr. Phil…"

"Who?" Kunimitsu interrupted.

He stared at her blankly again. "You know, the guy on television who solves everyone's problems?"

"I don't watch television." She remarked.

Marduk rolled his eyes. "What do you do for fun then?"

Kunimitsu looked toward him. "I build air conditioners."

"Whatever… Forget I asked…" He put his fingers over his eyes and began to shake his head. "Anyway, what I am trying to say is I think you really just want to prove yourself to this Yoshimitsu guy. It seems to me that you'd be better off making peace with him rather than killing him."

"Nonsense! That's foolish of you to say." Kunimitsu clenched her fist tightly. "I will be the one to end his life!" Deep down though, his words were already beginning to haunt her. She knew there could be some truth to what he said, but her heart wouldn't allow her to accept it. Thoughts of revenge were the only things keeping her going anymore. "Whatever, I don't even know why I am telling you any of this." She thought about it more. Why was she revealing so much about herself to another person? Was she beginning to trust someone again? Chances were that she was opening up to the first person who cared as a way or reassuring herself of the things she could actually remember

"Easy, because you needed to tell someone. You can't keep everything bottled up forever. It's more like you are telling yourself these things than me. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." Marduk had to keep himself from chuckling. "All I am trying to do is keep you from running out and getting yourself killed without first thinking things over."

"If I could have everyone's attention for just a moment!" A booming voice echoed throughout the room. Heihachi watched as everyone's eyes turned to look at him once more. At least it was easy for him to get people's attention in his new form. "A rat has crawled out of his hole and he thinks he can infest my Zaibatsu!" Heihachi paused momentarily to take a breath. "King, the masked wrestler who has entered several of my tournaments is now headed out way. No one move, I will take care of him myself."

"What?!" Marduk yelled out in an otherwise silent room. "King is mine!" He removed his tuxedo jacket and then proceeded to tear off his shirt rather than opening each individual button. His outfit no longer concerned him; all he could think about was defeating King for having embarrassed him at the last tournament.

Kunimitsu leaned in and whispered to him, "Now who's not thinking things over?" She smiled in satisfaction. "If it's not Yoshimitsu then I am not concerned. I'm going to bed."

Before he could even open his mouth to defend himself or question how someone could possible sleep while the building was under attack, he looked down and noticed she had already disappeared. It didn't matter, he had to leave himself so he could get his hands on King before anyone else could. From the look of things, Heihachi had already exited the room as well.

Zaibatsu Hallway

Gunfire erupted around him as King dropped guard after guard with a flurry of punches and closelines. He ducked as one guard slashed at him with a knife, picking him up by the waist as the weapon passed overhead. King ran forward, slamming the guard's body into another man standing close behind him. After releasing his hold on the man's waist, he reached down and grabbed both of his legs in his arms. King spun his entire body in a circle before releasing his hold on the man's legs, sending him soaring into the crowd of armed guards a few feet away.

Grunts and groans erupted as the entire crowd of soldiers was knocked off their feet. Their guns fell out of their hands and clanked off the floor tiles. King ran towards them, kicking away one of the guns as a guard reached for it. The man attempted to get back to his feet but he ended up with another kick in his face this time. King lunged forward, diving into the chest of another man and knocking him off of his feet before he could muster any kind of offence. After mounting the guard, King punched him several times in the face until he was knocked unconscious.

King hopped back onto his feet to face a third man who had managed to get to stand up as well. The soldier caught King off guard with punch to his head. The masked wrestler shook off the blow and returned the favor by kicking him as hard as he could in the stomach. Without thinking, King grabbed the man's heat and drove it into the floor with a powerful DDT. Though it was unconventional for an actual fight, it still managed to be efficient. King jumped back up to his feet and closelined one of the soldiers, causing his body to flip completely in midair and land on the ground with a thud.

King sighed heavily in relief after seeing that there were only two guards left standing in the immediate area. After seeing the pile of unconscious men he'd left, he was beginning to believe that the security in this building was never ending. Maybe rushing in wasn't the best idea, his only target was Marduk after all. "Now isn't the time to second guess myself…" King muttered as he noticed one of the guards was already rushing him with a baton in hand.

"Bastard!" The guard screamed as he charged toward King. As the man swung the weapon downward, King caught his arm by the wrist. In one quick motion he then brought down his right elbow into the man's arm, snapping it in half with a dull crunch. As the man screamed out in pain, King quickly suplexed him to take him off his feet.

When he looked toward the final adversary, King motioned with his hands as if he was questioning what the man's next move would be. The guard responded in a most peculiar way by pointing both his fingers toward King and winking. Something about that gesture just annoyed King, and he wasted little time in charging in and punching him in the abdomen. When the man doubled over in pain, King grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him head first into the wall. The soldier's head slammed off the wall causing him to slump down and remain motionless.

"That will be quite enough!" A voice boomed out from behind them. Heihachi slowly walked toward King while taking note of the fallen men around him. "Worthless fools, what do I pay them for?" Heihachi glared directly at King the entire time. He kicked the body of one man away so there would be a clear path between King and himself. "So I guess professional wrestlers aren't all show."

King looked on in shock as Heihachi emerged from the darkness of the poorly lit corridor. Wincing his eyes, he attempted to make out the abomination that was standing before him. It looked like Heihachi Mishima, if Heihachi Mishima had horns and wings that was. Up until now, he had only heard rumors of the Devil Gene. Now, however, it was quite clear that they were more than just rumors. "Step aside, I am only interested in Craig Marduk." King spoke out, deciding to drop the whole jaguar persona for now. Nothing mattered to him anyone, he only wanted to make Marduk pay for shaming the name of his teacher.

Heihachi continued to stare directly at King without making even the slightest movement. "You attack MY building, MY guards and then you expect me to just hand over Marduk to you?" His annoyance was more due to the incompetence of his security rather than King's actions. He'd feel a lot better once Chaolan finished working the bugs out of his robots so the building might actually have a little protection for once. "If you really want Marduk, then you have to beat me first." Heihachi continued to remain motionless. Whether King attacked him or not, he was still going to test his new strength against him. "Don't tell me the mighty King has turned into nothing but a coward!"

That was the last straw, King had heard enough. It was more than obvious that he'd have to go through Heihachi first if he ever wanted to get his hands on Craig Marduk. There was just one problem, King had no idea how to go about this. Beating Heihachi on any day of the week was an accomplishment in it's own right. Now that he had transformed into something much worse, he'd probably be near impossible to defeat.

"What's the matter? Go ahead, I'll allow you to get the first hit in." Heihachi calmly remarked. He lowered his arms to show that he wouldn't even keep his guard up.

King continued to stare down his opponent. His form showed no flaw, he never broke eye contact for even a second. Even with the promise of a free hit, King was hesitant. Not that he distrusted Heihachi's word, for he still believed the man to be honorable despite his character flaws. Heihachi was not one to bluff or attempt to steal a fight with dirty tactics. He was an old fashioned warrior, one who still believed in honor and strength. This made him slightly confused as to why he'd take up the Devil form though. But as of now, that did not concern him.

He moved slowly toward Heihachi, both his hands were clenched in fists. Even as he continued to approach, he took note of the fact that Heihachi still hadn't moved from his position. 'How much power is he hiding?' King thought to himself. As he stopped in front of Heihachi, he opened his palms up and held his hands close to his face. Without warning King unleashed three quick strikes; a left hook across the face of Heihachi, followed by a right hook across his face, finishing up with a quick uppercut to Heihachi's stomach. King was shocked when he noticed not only how solid Heihachi felt, but how his strikes had seemingly no effect on him. He didn't even have time to react when Heihachi sent him stumbling backwards with a quick backhand across the face.

"Pathetic, I expected more from you." Heihachi remarked coldly. The head of the Zaibatsu showed no movement toward following through with his attack nor did he even grin after having gained the upper hand.

King rushed Heihachi this time, jumping in the air and connecting with a dropkick to Heihachi's chest. Heihachi stumbled back a few inches, but King fell to the ground hard after his attack failed. Ignoring the pain, he jumped to his feet and attempted an hit Heihachi in the side of the head with an enziguri.

Heihachi ducked his head under the kick and waiting for King to turn around after he landed. He caught King's spinning backfist with his left arm and then sent King rolling across the room with a hard jab to the abdomen. This was becoming even easier than he had anticipated. While he felt a deep sense of unsatisfaction for his actions, he had to admit that he was now stronger than he had ever been. "Maybe I won't even need Ogre's cells after all…" He muttered as he continued to watch his fallen opponent.

'How can this be? I can't lose now before I've avenged Armor King's good name!' King's mind continued to race back and forth. He wasn't afraid of death, but he couldn't die knowing that he wasn't able to repay Marduk for his actions. He just couldn't allow Armor King's name to be ruined after he was unable to do anything to save his life. He charged toward Heihachi blindly, his heart was the only thing keeping him in the battle at this point.

This was it, the fight was over for the proud wrestler. Heihachi focused his eyes and concentrated all of his energy toward his head. A bright red light began to shine near his forehead. Suddenly, a powerful beam of light shot from his face toward King, catching him in the head. The wrestler's jaguar mask was knocked completely off of him, and he was temporarily disoriented after what had happened. Heihachi wasted no time in finishing his opponent off with a powerful uppercut to the chin. King's body hurled several feet through the air before crashing down to the floor.

"Knock out…" Heihachi began to grin. Although King was only a test of his powers, the other warriors who opposed him would soon suffer the same fate. Heihachi methodically walked toward the fallen wrestler. He stopped just inches from King's feet. Slowly, he began to concentrate his energy into his head once again. He prepared himself to deliver the final blow.

"STOP!" Marduk screamed as he ran at full pace toward his fallen rival. He couldn't allow King to be killed before he avenged his loss at the last tournament. Marduk came to a halt a few feet away from Heihachi. His chest heaved heavily after having run across several floors trying to find where the fight was actually occurring. "I….Don't…. kill him. I haven't…. had a chance to beat him. yet." He spoke between breaths.

Heihachi continued to look down at the unconcious wrestler, feeling some ounce of pity for him. After all, he was the reason why King had come in the first place. He also knew the shame of defeat and drive to avenge those losses he had suffered. Maybe it would be best to honor Marduk's request for now. King was no thread in this condition. "As you wish… Take him to the holding cells." Heihachi turned his back toward the two enemies and began to walk down the hallway. He had much more important issues to attend to now. Heihachi was expecting a much larger scale attack within the next few days. Yoshimitsu and Marshall Law's groups were both on the move and would eventually be headed here. If Lee didn't get the Combot units running soon, he may end up regretting having made the first moves so early in the game.

Marduk looked down at his fallen rival. Without his jaguar mask, he couldn't feel the same burning passion to defeat and humiliate King anymore. Now he was looking at the actual person behind the persona. King was still young and actually kind of handsome. Nothing compared to his own looks, but not too shabby anyway. It was easier for him to hate the man when he couldn't see the actual person behind the mask.

Out of respect, Marduk returned his rival's mask so that his identity would remain a secret. He knew how much that meant to King, and he wasn't one to dishonor such a thing. He gently lifted him up over his shoulders and walked toward the Zaibatsu infirmary. He'd have to be quick about this before all of the unconscious guards were taken there as well. Heihachi did say to take him to the prison area, but he never mentioned anything about not getting him medical attention first. "You better pull through King, because I still need to kick your ass!"


	9. Awakening

Legal Stuff: I do not own Tekken or any of its characters.

Well, I promise this is the last chapter of talking. The actual action will pick up next time. Sorry for making you wait so long.

**The Staff of Ogre**

**Chapter 9: Awakening**

Hotel Room

Kenshi stared out the window of the small hotel room, watching the rain fall outside. It had been almost eight hours since Yoshimitsu went out to check on the Zaibatsu. They had bought a room in a hotel less than a mile away from the Mishima Zaibatsu building, and Yoshimitsu had said he'd heard some disturbances coming from that direction. Without any mechanical devices to enhance his hearing, Kenshi couldn't tell either way. He really wished Yoshimitsu would return already with a plan of attack. Just sitting around like this was forcing Kenshi to think about what he'd lost over the past week.

Images of his wife's beautiful face and his son's smile continued to haunt him every second of the day. He silently cursed himself for not being strong enough to protect them. If only he could have done something to stop the Zaibatsu, or Bryan for that matter, he might have saved at least someone. All he had to show for himself now was his own miserable life. He felt so worthless and helpless watching so many of his comrades and friends slaughtered in front of his eyes. All he could do now was try and bring those men to justice for what they had done.

His only consolation was that he'd been wrong about there having been no survivors. Yoshimitsu had received a report from Dr. Boskonovich earlier in the week and he had informed them that a few of the Manji warriors had been able to send their wives and children away before the Zaibatsu wiped everyone out. Some of the elders from the village were also able to hide from the Zaibatsu's wrath. Cleanup was already beginning around the village and they'd have to start rebuilding the clan after they made Heihachi and Bryan pay for their crimes.

Kenshi turned towards the other occupants of the room. Things were beginning to get a little crowded as of late. Three strangers had shown up at the door about two days earlier seeking help from Yoshimitsu. Apparently, they had stopped by Dr. Boskonovich's lab and he told them exactly where to find Yoshimitsu. While this seemed to be a growing trend as of late, neither of the two Manji ninjas minded the extra help. As long as Boskonovich wasn't pointing the wrong people in their direction then they were fine with it.

The leader of the group's name was Marshall Law. From what Kenshi had heard, the man's son had been kidnapped by the Zaibatsu. Marshall was accompanied by Paul Phoenix, a bumbling loudmouth who seemed out of place in the group. It was hard to believe that both of them were extremely accomplished martial artists who competed in several Iron Fist Tournaments already. But they again, Yoshimitsu shared the same carefree personality that both of them had. The final member of the group went by the name of Hwoarang. Kenshi really had no idea what his story was since he seemed to enjoy keeping to himself.

Kenshi looked back toward Julia and Tim. Neither of them had said very much to him or Yoshimitsu since they joined up with them. They mostly kept to themselves and discussed their recent experiments and issues of reforestation. Kenshi mainly tried to shut them out when they started going on one of their rants. If he'd didn't know any better, he'd say they were a couple. Watching them together reminded him of when he and his wife were their age.

"Azumi…." Kenshi whispered. He couldn't take it anymore. It was just too hard to think about how he had failed his family as a father and a protector. He could no longer wait to find the man who has murdered the two people who meant more to him than anything else in the world. He quickly scooped up his kamas and stormed toward the door, only to be met face to face with Yoshimitsu.

"And where are we going?" It was really more of a statement than a question. Yoshimitsu knew his second in command was growing quite weary just waiting around. He couldn't blame him, he wanted revenge just as much as Kenshi did.

Kenshi looked toward him and frowned. It was a lot easier for the Manji leader to read him now that he had lost his mask. "I can't wait around here any longer sir."

"He's not alone!" Marshall called out. He'd grown quite tired of lounging about with the knowledge that Forest was somewhere out there waiting for him.

"That's right! Let's crush these morons and rescue Forest so we can go home already!" Paul cried out while shaking his fist in the air. He looked toward Hwoarang for some reassurance but all he got in return was a sour look. He could almost hear Hwoarang calling him an idiot in his head.

Yoshimitsu sighed heavily. His group was acting like a bunch of children at this point. If he wasn't certain of their skills then he'd never even think about risking an attack on the Zaibatsu with them as backup. "Look, I know everyone has been growing impatient with me." He looked back toward Julia and her friend and noticed that they didn't even seem to be paying any attention to him. "Well, almost all of you that is. But I have some news to report."

Kenshi finally moved out of the doorway so Yoshimitsu could enter. He took his seat by the window once more to hear Yoshimitsu out one last time. "Ok, what have you found out then?"

"The Zaibatsu had been attacked last night." Yoshimitsu noted calmly. "I don't know who they were or how many there were, but there was some damage." He looked at each one of their faces, some showed shock while others had hints of relief in their eyes. "They are currently in a state of disarray, so I think we should make our move by nightfall tomorrow."

"Why not just go in now while they are recovering?" Julia Chang finally decided to turn her attention to the conversation. "I mean, you said it yourself; the Zaibatsu is in disarray."

Yoshimitsu frowned. He really didn't want to tell them that he had purposely walked in front of one of the security cameras earlier to send a message to Heihachi. "Because the guards are on alert at this point. I want to give them some time to settle down before we make our move."

"I get it now sensei." Kenshi chimed in. "They are prepared now, but by tomorrow they won't be expecting another attack!"

Yoshimitsu nodded in reply. "Exactly. I'd also like to give you all some time to rest up and prepare yourselves." He pointed the blade of his sword towards them. "Be sure you are ready by tomorrow night or you will be left behind." He himself had to take some time to meditate over this. Not only was he going into a hostile war zone, but he also had to face down a newly powered up Bryan Fury. He had no idea what the depths of the cyborg's powers were now thanks to that perpetual generator Dr. Boskonovich had installed. Things could end up getting very messy by the end of the night.

Rising from his seat, Kenshi approached his Yoshimitsu after noticing that he seemed to be out of it at this point. "What's the matter sir, are you thinking about the village again?" Kenshi looked down toward the floor; he was having trouble making eye contact as of late. "I'm sorry I let you down."

Yoshimitsu looked toward Kenshi, feeling some newfound respect for him. It took a lot of courage to bear the burden of something so horrible even if he was not to blame. "It wasn't your fault, I am positive that you did everything within your power." He clenched his fist tightly, something he had been in the habit of doing as of late. "By the end of the night, I plan to make Mr. Fury pay dearly for what he's done. I won't stop with him either; Heihachi will have to answer for all of the innocent people from the village that he slaughtered. A crime such as that is unforgivable!" He could feel the rage continuing to burn within him. Several times already during the night he had to stop himself from storming the building alone. There would be no rest for Mishima of Fury until they were both dead.

Kenshi looked toward him curiously as another thought suddenly entered his head. "Sir, what do you plan to do if we run into Kunimitsu?"

"Huh?" Yoshimitsu had to give himself a mental slap for having forgotten. With all that has happened to his clan during the course of the past week, Kunimitsu never once crossed his mind. "I don't have a plan for her…" He frowned at the thought. Yoshimitsu really didn't want to kill her. "At this point in time, I have no idea what she wants to achieve. As I expected, there has been no word of her outside of what the spies have told us. I can't even say for sure that she actually is alive."

"Do you think she had anything to do with the destruction of our clan? She was always an egotistical bitch, I wouldn't put it past her!" Kenshi couldn't help but feel hatred for her. Something about that traitor just rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it had to do with the color of her hair or the fact that she was far more talented at such a young age then Kenshi even was now. Silly and vain reasons, but ones Kenshi simply could not get over.

It was upsetting for the Manji leader to hear his second in command talk about a former pupil that way. "I raised her for almost fifteen years. She wouldn't do something like that." He sighed deeply, this was something he never enjoyed thinking about. "She wasn't always that way either. We both know where she comes from…" He paused to rethink his last statement. "What I mean is, we know where both Kunimitsu and I originated from. While I was able to keep my own identity a secret from all but my most trusted warriors, Kunimitsu was proud of her hair color and she always kept it out in the open despite the cruelty and hatred she faced from her clansman." He did wish he had done more for her when she needed him the most, but he never found out just how much prejudice she faced until after she had already turned on him. "It must of killed her inside when I didn't do anything to help."

"What could you have done? You can't change the minds of everyone in the clan." Though he tried, Kenshi knew he wouldn't be able to ease the burden on his leader's heart.

"I could have been less of a coward myself. Maybe if they knew what I was, they would have been able to trust Kunimitsu more as well." Deep down, Yoshimitsu knew that wasn't true yet he continued to lie to himself. "It was also my fault for giving her so much power and responsibility at such a young age. Her ego grew as a way of fending off all of the criticism and hatred she had gotten from her comrades." He lowered his head in guilt. Yoshimitsu didn't even know how he would be able to face her at this point. Not only was he unable to protect her from her own clan, but he had also nearly taken her life. He never even had the heart to tell where she came from or why she had been so hated in the first place. If she had known the truth about both of them, she may not have turned out the way she did. The turmoil she was probably going through would be too much for anyone to bear. "To think, at one point I even considered myself a father figure in her life."

The words of his leader were beginning to get through to him at last. Kenshi had harbored some unjust hatred for her himself, something that he never really thought about until Yoshimitsu made it as clear as day. He trusted Yoshimitsu with his life; he at least could have been a bit more caring toward her when she had still been in the clan. "I know how you must feel. If we run into her, maybe you can get through to her and get a bit of redemption for what happened over twenty years ago." He directed this toward himself as well. Saving Kunimitsu could be his last shot at redemption as well.

Yoshimitsu smiled briefly. He was secretly hoping to meet up with her sooner rather than later. Even despite her actions, he still loved her as if she were his own child. He turned toward the doorway and looked off in the direction of the Zaibatsu. "Kunimitsu…"

Zaibatsu Laboratory

Kunimitsu sat impatiently atop one of Dr. Abel's filing cabinets waiting for yet another one of Heihachi's mandatory meetings. At least she could feel more comfortable this time since she had worn some of her loose fitting training gear. But still, these things were really starting to become a pain. It had been nearly two days since the Zaibatsu had been attacked, and things had returned to their usual dullness. She had noticed that many of Heihachi's cutthroats were on edge as of late so she tried her best to keep to herself since the attack.

Crossing her legs, she looked across the room at Bryan Fury who had been leaning against the wall. He looked different in snakeskin pants and a black shirt as compared to a tuxedo, but his face was unmistakable. Kunimitsu's only meeting with him left her with a sour taste in her mouth. She didn't care for him in the least. It angered her that he was proud he had slaughtered dozens of Manji warriors. Despite being unable to remember anyone from the clan outside of Yoshimitsu, she could still feel hatred brewing toward him for murdering former comrades. She looked toward his face and noticed he was grinning at her as if enjoying some sort of amusing joke. After seeing that expression, she couldn't help but look away in disgust.

'What is the holdup?' She thought to herself. Lee and his secretary had already arrived and they were sitting at one of the tables along with Dr. Abel. Heihachi was also there in his human form this time, sitting at the head of the table with Anna in his lap. Kunimitsu rolled her eyes in annoyance at the sickening pair. Cypher had of course taken his usual position of watching over Heihachi. She silently wondered why he had suddenly decided to start going without his mask. It was odd, but not too overly important. There also seemed to be something missing, but Kunimitsu just couldn't put her finger on it.

'Marduk, of course!' She suddenly realized. If there was one thing she could be certain of about Marduk, he had a horrible sense of time. She couldn't recall a single board meeting where he had actually shown up on time. It was to be expected though; Marduk wasn't exactly the corporate type. She couldn't help but smile and shake her head when he finally stormed into the room, breathing heavily. As usual, he was dressed in sweats which could only mean that he was working out yet again. She actually felt sorry for him since it was partially her fault. The gym had practically been like a second home to him every since she defeated him in their little skirmish. She hadn't even ran into him once there before that night, and now she saw him there every time she went to use some of the training equipment. He moved past her, receiving a brief nod as he dashed for a seat at the table.

"Late again I see…" Heihachi didn't sound very amused at his antics. How could anyone blame him either? Heihachi wasn't one who cared to waste any of his time.

Marduk casually leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head. "Yes, you wouldn't believe the traffic…"

"I DON'T WANT YOUR EXCUSES!" Heihachi shouted, nearly startling Anna off of his lap. Closing his eyes and taking a very deep breath, Heihachi looked as if he was attempted to regain his composure.

Kunimitsu looked back at Marduk, who seemed visibly shaken. It was to be expected; Heihachi had never lost his cool like that during any of the other meetings. He's always managed to remain calm and collected no matter what the situation. She figured that his plans must have been moving along slower than he had hoped and he was on edge about the approaching attack. Come what may, she only cared about fighting one person. 'In all honesty, I wouldn't mind seeing Heihachi get what's coming to him.' She thought to herself. She turned her head just in time to see Heihachi remove his hand from Anna's leg and reach into his jacket pocket for something. He removed a golden object decorated with jewels and held it out so everyone in the room could see. Kunimitsu recognized it instantly, it was the Staff of Ogre she had stolen several weeks earlier.

"As almost all of you may already know, this is the Staff of Ogre." Anna moved off of Heihachi so he could stand up. "I've purposely waited this long to revive the God of Fighting because I felt it unnecessary." He slowly moved toward the other side of the room, turning his back to everyone. "But… My enemies are beginning to close in on me. It is time to move into the final stages of the plan." Heihachi motioned his hand and Cypher walked toward him, drawing a handgun from his holster in the process.

"Wake me up when this is over…" Lee mumbled as he leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the table in the process.

Abel looked very unpleased with Lee and his actions. He slammed his fist down on the table, "Shut up you brat! We are about to witness a scientific miracle!"

Things were becoming quite amusing for Kunimitsu. She couldn't help but enjoy seeing the Zaibatsu coming apart at the seams. She had wondered how long it would take for all of the false friendships to unravel. It was equally amusing to see that Lee had almost completely ignored Abel and his ramblings.

Across the room, Heihachi began tapping the keyboard connected to the large capsule. There were several loud beeps, followed by a ding to signify that code he entered was correct. The capsule made a loud hissing sound and filled the immediate area with mist. Kunimitsu suddenly caught on to what was happening. Though she was barely conscious at the time and could only recall the end of it, this looked very similar to the unfreezing process she had undergone over two months earlier. Though this process looked slightly more advanced than the one she experienced, she knew that must have been where Heihachi was keeping Ogre ever since he had recovered its body.

The machine continued to hiss loudly for almost a minute as the rest of the room watched on in curiosity. All eyes focused on Heihachi; many of them forgetting to blink in the process. 'In just a few more seconds… The real game begins.' The grin on Heihachi's face was wide enough that all of his teeth were beginning to show. He'd been waiting for this moment for over two years now and it was finally happening.

The capsule let out three more loud tings when the reanimation process was finally completed. Of course, Heihachi knew there would be no reanimation of Ogre until he used the item's power. He raised both arms above his head and then thrust the staff directly into the heart of Ogre. The jewels on the handle began to glow. A bright white light burst from Ogre's chest. Heihachi quickly pulled the staff from Ogre's body, causing the blinding light to shoot out and fill the entire room. Those who did not look away were forced to shield their eyes from the brightness. Throughout the room tables began to shake and shattering glass could be heard as beakers and flasks fell to the floor.

Slowly, Ogre began to rise from his coffin. Cypher pointed his weapon directly at the creatures head until Heihachi waved him away. Ogre took two steps and then stopped dead as Heihachi held out the staff in front of him. The legends were true, whoever held the Staff of Ogre could control the God of Fighting.

"Abel, go prepare yourself." Heihachi commanded without turning away from Ogre. "The rest of you, leave us!" He smiled as he watched Ogre remain motionless, only moving when he willed it. "Except you, Kunimitsu. I have something I need to speak with you about."

Kunimitsu looked toward him with curiosity. This was the first time he actually addressed her since she had stolen the artifact for him. She could only guess what he wanted this time, and none of her guesses seemed all too pleasant. She watched everyone leave, receiving sour expressions from some of them.

"Heh, good luck… Hope he doesn't test that monster out on you." Marduk whispered as he passed by her.

She stared blankly back at him, "Yeah… That's very reassuring of you…"

Marduk was the last to leave the room, slamming the door shut on his way out. Kunimitsu hopped down from her perch, never taking her eyes off of Heihachi in the process. She approached him hesitantly, still unaware of his true intentions.

"No need to be frightened my dear." Heihachi turned toward her and smiled. "You haven't gotten on my bad side yet…"

She tilted her head to the side curiously. "What do you need this time?"

Heihachi crossed his arms as he returned his gaze to Ogre. "Tell me Ms. Mitsu, what do you think of the God of Fighting? He was revived thanks to you after all." He waved the item at her incase she had forgotten what he was speaking of.

"You really want to know?" Kunimitsu smiled and crossed her arms as well, imitating Heihachi. "I think he's an abomination… Something that should have stayed dead." At this point, she no longer cared what Heihachi thought. She wasn't about to kiss anyone's ass, especially not slime like him. "But it doesn't matter, at least I got paid for retrieving the staff so you're free to do whatever you want with your new _toy_." She put great emphasis on the final word, noting the strange fascination Heihachi seemed to have with Ogre.

Reeling his head back, Heihachi laughed loudly at her comments. He couldn't deny that he admired her courage and ability to speak whatever was on her mind. Heihachi had grown bored of all the yes men, a little criticism was nice for a change. "I'll get right to my original point then, I have something I need to show you.

She watched him remove what appeared to be a television remote from his pocket. He pressed one of the buttons and a monitor next to her flickered on. Kunimitsu turned to face the screen; her jaw almost dropping at what she saw next. It looked like a tape from some sort of security camera located in the woods on the outskirts of the Zaibatsu compound. There, as clear as day, a samurai wearing a helmet shaped like a skull with strange tentacles dangling off of the back stepped into view. He looked directly into the camera and the swung his katana downward. The screen flashed and then there was nothing to look at besides static. Kunimitsu had never seen that armor before, but the aura the warrior gave off was unmistakable. "Yoshimitsu…" She whispered, instantly recognizing him despite his new appearance.

Heihachi turned completely around to face her this time. "Smart girl, I knew you'd catch on." He moved closer to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. He grinned when he felt her jump slightly at his touch. "This was taken just last night. I thought I'd show you because you seem much more levelheaded than Mr. Fury. I can't allow someone like him to just charge out and mess everything up for us." Removing his hand, Heihachi moved to take a seat at the table once again. "The goal is to lead Yoshimitsu into a false sense of security. If Bryan raced out there and was defeated, it could result in a full out assault that we just aren't prepared for yet." Heihachi crossed his fingers and learned forward in his chair. "What I need from you first is information. I need to know why Yoshimitsu so clumsily allowed himself to be spotted. I thought you Manji were smarted than that."

Kunimitsu's eyes never left the blank screen, "It's a warning, Yoshimitsu wants you to know that your death is coming." She could feel her heart drop having once been in this same situation herself. "After what you did to his clan and his village, I can't say I blame him at all."

"Been snooping around have you?" Heihachi hadn't informed her of that incident, he felt it would make her question her loyalties. "If it is any consolation, Abel orchestrated everything, I had nothing to do with the slaughtering of the innocent villagers."

"BULLSHIT!" Kunimitsu slammed her fist down on a keyboard. "You had everyone killed as part of your sick little game. If I fail, I hope to God Yoshimitsu slices out your black heart for everything you've done!" It was happening to her again, she was letting her emotions get out of check. It wasn't like her to feel general sadness or remorse for others.

Her words cut deep, but not deep enough. Once he had Ogre's cells within him, there would be no need to fear Yoshimitsu's wrath. "Just make sure you don't fail! I've invested a lot of money and time into you. The Zaibatsu not only saved your life; but we've also clothed you, fed you, and gave you shelter. I don't like to see my investments wasted." He stood up from his seat and grabbed a nearby chair. In a fit of rage, he lifted it up and threw it against the wall, shattering some valuable lab equipment. "Just leave!"

She was more than happy to oblige. Kunimitsu greatly resented being called an investment. Taking one last look at the motionless Ogre, she left the room. She couldn't worry about Heihachi anymore. Now she had to prepare, Yoshimitsu would be arriving shortly.

Holding Cells

Forest had lost track of the days he'd spend locked up in some sort of jail cell. The only courtesy he'd received since being captured was having his thigh bandaged up. Since then he was just thrown into a prison and left to rot. To pass the time between each terrible meal he was given, he trained his body through sit-ups and crunches. His leg still hadn't healed to the point that he could do any kind of practicing. He never once lost hope though. He was positive that his father would come to rescue him from his current predicament.

"Please, hurry dad…" His time spend in the cell had been miserable. His only company was a beautiful yet cold woman named Nina who was kept just across the hall from him. He'd seen that woman somewhere before, but he didn't know her name until now. The guards must have thought the lack of privacy for the two of them was rather amusing. Being chivalrous to a fault, he never once took advantage of the situation. He was always willing to give her the privacy that she deserved. Through such acts, he was even beginning to get her to open up to him to a point.

"So kid, when do you expect your friends to arrive?" Nina questioned with no hint of emotion in her voice at all.

Forest gave her his best attempt at a hopeful smile, "They should be coming any day now. I just know they'll find me!" He learned against the bars of his cell. "What about you, expecting anyone?"

Nina looked away from Forest, giving the expression of someone who'd long since lost hope. "I have no friends or family, I only have myself to rely on."

"When the time comes then, I promise I won't leave without you." Forest's thoughts then went to the man he saw being dragged down the hall a few nights ago; the one wearing the black jumpsuit and the jaguar mask. Maybe it would be in everyone's best interest if they rescued him as well. They could use all the help they can get to escape this nightmare.

Nina looked over toward Forest's cell. She wasn't exactly trying to get anyone's pity with her comment, but it was still nice to know that someone actually cared about her well being. "Thanks…" She allowed herself a brief smile before quickly shaking it off. Nina was usually out for herself, but she didn't mind lending a hand to help Forest escape for the time being. First came first though; she'd kill Anna the second she was free. She knew she could count on fighters like Marshall Law and Paul Phoenix to save the day. Now all she had to do was suffer a few more days in this hell. Things were beginning to look up for both of them.


End file.
